The Story So Far.....
Concieved in July 1994 with almost the same line up as today (the only difference being that vocalist Alex used to double up on bass), the band went through a lengthy gestation period (adding bassist Simon Bayliss in 1995 and replacing him with local hardcore man Martin Holt in 1997) before emerging with the 'Kicking Pigeons EP' in 1998.
Having sold 5000 copies at pub gigs the [spunge] boys decided that there was enough potential to jack in the day jobs and make the band a full time concern.
Having soon gained a manager in Dave Juste of Birmingham's Xposure Rock Cafe (a regular early haunt), [spunge] hit the road, and would eventually notch up well over three hundred gigs in just two years.
Less than a year later in 1999, [spunge] released their debut album Pedigree Chump on MoonSka Europe and thus set about introducing the band and their unique brand of ska, dub, punk and comedy to a wider audience.
Unfortunately Martin got sick of being on the road, so good friend Jarvis from local pop-punks B-Movie Heroes jumped in on bass despite being a guitarist and stayed there!
Their second album Room For Abuse was recorded at DEP International Studios (owned by UB40 strangely enough) and released on Sucka-Punch Records in 2000, featuring the single 'Ego' plus covers of Bob Marley's 'No Woman No Cry' and Sublime's 'Santeria'
The album version of 'No Woman No Cry' - complete with new lyrics from Alex - was the first cover of a Bob song ever to receive permission to be altered by the Marley family as Ziggy liked it so much.
All this attention brought them to the eyes of B-Unique and a deal was signed in February 2002.
The first single to be taken from the new album ‘The Story So Far' was 'Jump On Demand'. Produced by John Cornfield (Muse, Oasis), 'Jump On Demand' hit the Top 40 despite being ignored by radio and mainstream media magazines and also topped the Kerrang! TV chart for two weeks.
Following up this success was going to be difficult with next single 'Roots', but the band still managed to chart in the top 50 again with zero radio play showing that their army of fans were as loyal as ever.
However, things between the band and the label B-unique|Warners weren’t rosy. Both releases had been delayed after the band had arranged sold out tours and promotional appearances meaning that things were not coinciding as they should.
The album, 'The Story So Far' was then scheduled for release at the end of August 2002. On the same day as the Reading and Leeds festivals which the band were playing. Great timing. No, the band didn't think so either.
Most of their fans were at the festivals and wouldn't have the money to buy festival stuff and the album at the same time.
The band then recorded a cover of 'Oliver's Army' with Steve Harris, which Alex Donnelly at Radio 1 said he would A List, Alex having seen the band at a press show at London's Camden Monarch in July and at Reading. For once the band would have radio support for a release, who knew what that could mean?! The label again asked for a tour to go with the release and a huge UK tour was arranged for November/December 2002:
The band were in full control of all the promotion for the tour and most shows were sold out with over 15,000 tickets sold to [spunge] fans, with no financial support from the label, and no press coverage at all.
The single wasn't released.
Another meeting in December between label and band management had [spunge] pointing out that the label had let the band down again, that there had been 5 different production managers in 6 months (including 3 in seven days!), that the press representative had not even contacted the big four magazines to arrange press for the tour (a fact confirmed by the editors), and that overall the organisation was a sham. The label agreed. 48 hours later [spunge] and B-Unique parted company.
Despite this the band went on to play the very 1st Download Festival at Castle Donington in July 2003, alongside acts such as Audioslave, NOFX and Metallica as well as several other smaller festivals to great crowds.
This proved to the band that there was still a great audience out there for them and they decided it was time to make some big changes to the way things were being dealt with.
Firstly the band decided to part company with their manager Dave Juste mainly due to a difference of opinion in how the band should grow. After this split the band decided that, rather than get another manager, why not manage themselves? So that's exactly what they did.
This proved to be a good move all round with the gigs and the songs coming on stronger than ever. The next move seemed pretty obvious to [spunge]. They didn't have a label and they wanted to get more tunes out to the masses, so with this in mind they decided to start up their own label DENT’ALL RECORDS, for themselves and other bands that didn't get the help they deserved.
On Feb 23rd 2004 the label released it's first CD called ‘THAT SHOULD COVER IT’ a collection of covers [spunge] have done, some previously unavailable live demos and two BRAND NEW [spunge] songs to wet the appetite before the next full length album.
[spunge]’s first Dent’All Records release ‘That Should Cover It’ was a great success for the band with sales of the CD still going strong. Reception for the album was (and still is!) great with many people liking the covers better than the original versions by the Artists themselves!
This was a great boost to the band as it showed that they hadn't made a mistake by doing their own thing.
During 2004 the band returned to the studio for a short while to record two more brand new tracks for the next album with the intention of producing a video for one of them to release to coincide with a major tour in Oct/Nov 2004.
The two tracks chosen to record were ‘Backstabber’ and ‘One More Go’, the second track being the most likely candidate for the video release. They follow on the tradition of catchy riffs and infectious chorus’ that has become the [spunge] trademark.
A video was comissioned through Goblin Pictures for the song 'One More Go' and was sent out to all the tv stations etc in the hope of it getting played on air.
While all this was going on they also decided to put on an all-dayer at Cheltenham Town Hall. Hosted by Dent'all Records and [spunge] this was to become EXTRACTION FEST 2004 - something that they hope to host annually if possible. The show was a great success and they waited to hear which stations would be playing the new video.
The video wasn't added to ANY playlists, various excuses were made but the upshot was no-one was going to see this awesome video. They booked up the UKKO tour and went out and played it live to the masses instead. Another blow for [spunge] but it would take more than that to shake them.
The band decided that if the TV stations and labels didn't want 'One More Go' then they would release it themselves and why not a full length DVD ('The High Life') with the video on as well while they were at it!
The single and DVD were to be released on the same day, 21st March 2005, and to coincide with that they booked another tour entitled the ONE MORE GO TOUR to help promote both releases. The tour was great and although there were a few hiccups with getting the single into the shops on time, the releases came about and both did great, again with no backing from radio or tv.
With more bands being added to the label and the continued success of ‘That Should Cover It’ and the DVD 'The High Life' things are going from strength to strength.
Next plans are to tour in Norway after a long time away and another major tour in Oct/Nov 2005 after which they will be going into the studio to record the next full album, yet to be titled. [spunge] have 17 new songs written (4 of which are already recorded) and are writing more all the time. They are hoping to release the next full length studio album in early/mid 2006.
In early 2006, Wol decided to part company with the band after over a decade due to a change in circumstances.. [spunge] are still going strong as a 4 peice and will be recording the next full length album this year.
To Be Continued......
Circle in the Sand
[spunge] Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking thru the summer's end
Waves crash baby, don't look back
I won't walk away again
Oh, baby, anywhere you go,
We are bound together
I begin, baby, where you end
Circle in the sand
'round and 'round
Never ending love is what we've found
And you complete the heart of me
Our love is all we need
Circle in the sand
Cold wind, tide move in
Shiver in the salty air
Day breaks, my heart aches
I will wait for you right here.
Oh, baby when you look for me
Can you see forever?
I begin baby, where you end
We belong together
Circle in the sand
'round and 'round
Never ending love is what we've found
And you complete the heart of me
Our love is all we need
Circle in the sand
Baby can you hear me?
Can you hear me calling?
Oh, baby when you look for me
Can you see forever?
I begin baby, where you end
We belong together
Circle in the sand
'round and 'round
Never ending love is what we've found
And you complete the heart of me
Our love is all we need
Circle in the sand
The lyrics of "[spunge]'s" song "Circle in the Sand" speaks about the everlasting love between two people who are destined to be together. The song tells the story of a couple spending their last moments together before they part ways. They know that their love is infinite, like the never-ending circle drawn in the sand. The line "Some things are forever" and the repetition of the phrase "Circle in the sand" emphasize the idea that their love will go on and on, unbroken by anything. The song incorporates imagery of the beach and ocean, symbolizing the vastness of their love.
As the song progresses, the tone shifts as emotions take over. The phrase "my heart aches" and "I will wait for you right here" implies that the two are forced to separate from each other, but their love will remain strong. The question "Baby can you hear me? Can you hear me calling?" shows that the singer is not ready to let go of his loved one.
In conclusion, "[spunge]'s" "Circle in the Sand" is a powerful anthem to everlasting love. The song builds up with each verse, and the circle in the sand metaphor makes the song truly stand out. It is a touching tribute to the unbreakable bond between two people.
Line by Line Meaning
Sundown all around
It's in the evening, and the sun is setting down everywhere.
Walking thru the summer's end
We are walking towards the end of the summer season.
Waves crash baby, don't look back
The waves are crashing into the shore, and we shouldn't look back at the past.
I won't walk away again
I have made a mistake before by walking away, but I won't do that again.
Oh, baby, anywhere you go,
No matter where you go, my love for you will stay the same.
We are bound together
We are connected to each other, and nothing can separate us.
I begin, baby, where you end
Our love is complete because we start where the other ends.
Some things are forever!
Our love is eternal, and it will last forever.
Circle in the sand
Our love is like a circle that goes on and on.
'round and 'round
The circle of love is endless and continuous.
Never ending love is what we've found
We have found a love that is infinite and everlasting.
And you complete the heart of me
You make my heart complete, and I can't live without you.
Our love is all we need
Our love is enough for us, and we don't need anything else.
Cold wind, tide move in
The wind is cold, and the tide is coming towards us.
Shiver in the salty air
We feel cold and shiver because of the salty air.
Day breaks, my heart aches
The day is starting, but my heart is feeling pain.
I will wait for you right here.
I will wait for you patiently, right here where we are.
Baby can you hear me?
I wonder if you can hear me calling out to you.
Can you hear me calling?
Can you hear my voice calling out to you?
Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@daitarn3lufra127
The ladies (Lauper, Carlisle, Benatar, Madonna, Dayne, Houston, ...)of the 80s are better than the ladies of nowdays.
@s1050
WAY better. I love every one of those ladies you mentioned. Their music was so much more sophisticated, catchy and mature than anyone today
@AbhilashGregory1985
The 80s music are true gold!... better than today!
@jenniferomahony2272
I totally agree with you Hun I've begun to wonder what happened to the legends of the 80s and 90s?
@johnskelton1117
do we have ladies now!
@michelleseal988
I fully agree 👍👍 have too add Olivia Newton John she was also a great singer .. l also like pink but 80 🎶 was great
@Robin_Hood054
Who's watching in 2024?! Circle In The Sand .
@heavenlyxtacy
Me❤😊
@ed74rich
here
@Yalf111
Gotta educate the kids ❤