History
The March Violets formed in December 1981, meeting at Leeds University. The original band members were Tom Ashton (guitar), Laurence "Loz" Elliot (bass), Simon "Detroit" Denbigh (vocals) and Rosie Garland (vocals). Percussion was provided by a drum machine, nicknamed "Dr. Rhythm", a feature they had in common with many of the bands in the Leeds scene at the time. Fellow student Andrew Eldritch, lead singer of The Sisters of Mercy, released the band's debut 7", the four-track "Religious as Hell" EP, on his Merciful Release label on 28 August 1982. A second single on Merciful Release, "Grooving in Green", followed on 27 November 1982.
The band then established their own Rebirth record label, releasing the "Crow Baby" single on 30 April 1983. Cleo Murray joined as second female vocalist for the next single, "Snake Dance", issued in December 1983. The song was a club hit, and is considered a classic of the gothic rock genre. Garland left after "Snake Dance", and Murray took over as sole female singer for "Walk Into the Sun", issued 4 August 1984. That October, the band released their first compilation album, Natural History, which collected the first four singles plus two tracks from a 1983 BBC Peel Session.
The March Violets shifted towards a more pop-oriented sound, and Denbigh left the band in early February 1985, prior to the band's first American tour in March 1985. Denbigh did appear on the next single, "Deep", released 11 May 1985 but recorded prior to his departure. A second compilation album, Electric Shades, was issued in the US by Relativity Records that year; it collected the contents of the "Snake Dance", "Walk Into the Sun" and "Deep" singles, including a piano-laden remix of "Snake Dance".
The band then signed to major label London Records, adding drummer Andy Tolson to the lineup. The "Turn to the Sky" single was released 24 February 1986 on London, although still bearing the Rebirth imprint. The song (and their cover of "Miss Amanda Jones" by the Rolling Stones) was featured on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Some Kind of Wonderful, which included a live performance by the band of "Turn to the Sky." They broke up later that year.
In 1993, the band's first CD compilation, The Botanic Verses, was released by Jungle Records in the UK and Cleopatra Records in the US; it covered their entire 1982-1984 catalogue.
Other projects
Before the band's split, Ashton had guested as live guitarist for The Sisters of Mercy and the Danse Society. In 1991, he joined Clan of Xymox for their Phoenix US tour, and relocated there. He later composed indie film soundtracks. Ashton now produces various bands in the South East USA, including Vision Video and Tears for the Dying.
Murray briefly fronted the band Lovecraft in the early 1990s, releasing two 1993 singles, "Hungry" and "Medicine".[9]
Denbigh formed the Batfish Boys and D-Rok.
Garland became a poet and cabaret performer, performing under the name Rosie Lugosi. Later, she was the victim of a stalker, with the 2007 court case featured as a lead article in the Manchester Evening News.[20] Following several poetry collections, Garland's debut novel, The Palace of Curiosities, was published by HarperCollins in 2013, earning several awards and a longlisting for the Desmond Elliott Prize.
Reformation and subsequent activity
On 8 October 2007, the March Violets played a one-off reunion gig in Leeds with original members Denbigh, Garland and Ashton, plus Mat Thorpe (Isolation Division) standing in on bass. Although the show was a success, plans for further shows were put on hold whilst Garland was ill with throat cancer in 2009.
Once Garland was fully recovered, the March Violets restarted their live reformation with a secret warm-up show at Whitby in October 2010. On 13 November 2010, the March Violets played their first London show in 25 years, at O2 Academy Islington with new bassist Joanna Moy (previously of Screaming Banshee Aircrew).
In November 2010, the band embarked on a project to make their first proper album using Pledge Music (as opposed to the previous compilation albums of their singles and EPs). Over 600 fans pledged support and they raised 196% of the money required. In addition to raising money for the recording of the album, the band provided funds to charities (Friends of the Earth, Cloth Cat and Macmillan Cancer Support). During the recording of the album, they released several promotional items, including a digital-only promo release of "Tokyo Flow" and a remix of "Dandelion King", as well as a "gigeo" (a combination of a gig in Leeds where they shot the promo video with members of the audience) of "Dandelion King".
In 2012, they did a small live tour that showcased some of the new tracks.
The album Made Glorious was released in April 2013 as a digital download to all fans who had pledged support. The album primarily consisted of original tracks, with some material being remixes of tracks from the Trinity and Love Will Kill You EPs. Physical hard copies, T-shirts, an A4 booklet (featuring lyrics, artwork and photos) and posters were distributed to those who had pledged support in June 2013. Pledgers received a special 2-CD pack featuring 12 additional remixes including two tracks not included on the original album ("Liam Hits Seven" and "Black Heart").
To support the new album, the band performed gigs in October and November 2013, and a short tour in April 2014, including a headlining slot at the Convergence 20 festival in Chicago, the first US appearance of the reformed lineup. This was followed by a return tour of the West Coast in June 2014.
In August 2015, the band confirmed that Moy had officially left the band. The following month, they announced an American tour with William Faith on bass, scheduled for October.
In early October, the band announced that after completing the Mortality tour, they would record a new album of the same name. It was funded via PledgeMusic and achieved 167% funding, with 10% of the funding going to Macmillan Cancer Support. The initial version of the Mortality album was released for download by Denbigh on Christmas Day to those who had supported its development. This version consisted of 10 tracks; all except the title track were "re-forged" versions of older songs. Mars Williams of the Psychedelic Furs provided additional saxophone on several tracks. The physical release of the album was planned to include additional remixes and extended versions but never made it to fruition.
After releasing the first remix to pledgers in early 2016, Denbigh suffered a stroke and was hospitalised for a long period.
On the 16th of July 2021, the band released a limited edition double vinyl album, Big Soul Kiss: The BBC Recordings via Jungle Records.[26] This was a special for Record Store Day in the UK and also available as a standard release in other territories. It sold out within three weeks of release. A repressing was made in 2022, alongside a new compilation Play Loud Play Purple and a five-CD box set that included two CDs of unreleased material, The Palace of Infinite Darkness
On October 7 2022, the band announced on a new website that they were having a reunion for tours and new recordings in 2023/24. The reunion lineup is Rosie Garland, Tom Ashton and William Faith, all survivors from their previous live activity in 2015.
Discography
Studio albums
Made Glorious (2013), self-released
Mortality (2015), self-released
Singles and EPs
"Religious as Hell" 7" (1982), Merciful Release
"Grooving in Green" 7" (1982), Merciful Release
"Crow Baby" 7"/12" (1983), Rebirth
"Snake Dance" 7"/12" (1984), Rebirth
"Walk into the Sun" 7"/12" (1984), Rebirth
"Deep" 7"/12" (1985), Rebirth
"Turn to the Sky" 7"/12" (1986), Rebirth
Trinity EP CD EP (2007), self-released
Love Will Kill You CD EP (2011), self-released
Compilation albums
Natural History (1984), Rebirth
Electric Shades (1985), Relativity Records
The Botanic Verses (1993), Jungle Records/Cleopatra Records
Big Soul Kiss: The BBC Recordings (2021), Jungle Records
Play Loud Play Purple (2022), Jungle Records
The Palace of Infinite Darkness (2022), Jungle Records
1 2 I Love You
The March Violets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took over the room
Crawled off the walls
And squatted in the gloom
Didn't know what to say
Prophesise a brand new day
But each time that I look at you
My body burns with anger
Relentless
Every time I try to speak
Paralysis of anger... I love
We take it nice and slow
Buried ashes start to glow
Didn't know didn't feel the cold
Couldn't see we were growing old
The thin black thread
Breaks in my head
And I'm alive with anger
Look at my hands
Your body cracks like glass
And I'm dragged down
By waves of anger
I love you... why
Anger
Where's the seeker
Of wisdom and truth
Children know what nettles do
Holy text infernal breeze
Cut the children down
There's no explosion without corrosion
To sear away my heart
Look at my hands
I love you
The March Violets's song "1 2 I Love You" contains powerful and intense lyrics that are open to interpretation. The song tells a story of two individuals who are in the midst of a situation where they don’t know what to say or how to react. The opening lines speak of a wallpaper pattern taking over the room and crawling off the walls, creating a sense of claustrophobia and unease. The line "Prophesize a brand new day" could suggest a sense of hope or potential change, but this is quickly contradicted by the repeated line "Every time I try to speak, paralysis of anger...I love."
The repeated lines of "Look at my hands" and "I love you" suggest a sense of internal turmoil that is being held back. The anger that the singer feels is intense and physical, devouring their being and preventing them from expressing their true emotions. The line "Buried ashes start to glow" could possibly refer to a reminder of past events, perhaps a past relationship or traumatic experience, which has ignited a flame within them.
The song's lyrics become even more intense with lines such as "Your body cracks like glass" and "And I'm dragged down by waves of anger." These lines suggest that the anger and frustration that have been building up in the singer have reached a boiling point and are now breaking free, taking control of the situation. The final lines of the song, "There's no explosion without corrosion to sear away my heart", suggest a sense of self-destructiveness, that the only way to release this anger is to allow it to burn away at their heart.
Overall, "1 2 I Love You" is a song that speaks of intense emotions and internal turmoil that is expressed through powerful lyrics and melodies.
Line by Line Meaning
Wallpaper pattern
The singer observes an overwhelming and repetitive pattern in the room, which has taken control of the space
Took over the room
The pattern has completely consumed the space within the room
Crawled off the walls
The pattern is so intense that it seems to physically crawl off and spread beyond the walls
And squatted in the gloom
The pattern now dominates the space and creates a sense of darkness and sadness
Didn't know what to say
The artist is at a loss for words and struggles to express themselves
Prophesise a brand new day
Despite their difficulty expressing themselves, the singer holds hope for a better future
But each time that I look at you
The singer is addressing a specific person
Look at my hands
The artist experiences a physical manifestation of anger when they see this person
My body burns with anger
The anger caused by seeing this person is intense and overwhelming
Relentless
The anger does not subside or lessen over time
Every time I try to speak
The singer struggles to communicate their feelings to this person
Paralysis of anger... I love
Despite the overwhelming anger, the artist still loves this person
We take it nice and slow
The pace of the relationship between the singer and the person they address is slow and deliberate
Buried ashes start to glow
Past feelings and emotions that were buried begin to resurface and intensify
Didn't know didn't feel the cold
The singer was not aware of their emotions and they have now become overwhelming
Couldn't see we were growing old
The passage of time was not noticed and the artist realizes that they are getting older
The thin black thread
A fragile tie between two people
Breaks in my head
The tie is broken within the singer's own thoughts and emotions
And I'm alive with anger
The feeling of anger is so strong that it becomes overwhelming and all-consuming
Your body cracks like glass
The intensity of the artist's anger begins to spread to the other person and has negative consequences
And I'm dragged down
The artist is weighed down by their feelings
By waves of anger
The anger is like the relentless crashing of waves
I love you... why
Despite the negative emotions, the singer still loves the other person and is conflicted about why they are experiencing such strong anger
Where's the seeker
The artist questions where one would look for answers in their situation
Of wisdom and truth
The singer is searching for a deeper understanding or insight into their emotions and situation
Children know what nettles do
Even children understand how certain actions or people can cause pain or discomfort
Holy text infernal breeze
The singer is referencing how religion or spirituality can offer answers and comfort, but also acknowledges that some religious beliefs and texts can cause difficulty
Cut the children down
The negative emotions are causing destruction or harm to oneself or others
There's no explosion without corrosion
Change or destruction often requires the breakdown and destruction of what was previously in place
To sear away my heart
The singer acknowledges that the process of change and destruction will be painful and difficult for them
I love you
Despite the overwhelming negative emotions, the singer reiterates that they still love the other person
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.