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
Turn To The Sky
The March Violets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You took the words right from my lips, without asking
I've played the scene before and I won't be the one left crying
And if you think that love's for sale, well I'm not buying
What you've bought before you can buy no more
'Cause I'm all out of love, I can't take no more
Tonight is fading fast the sun is rising
I've been down so many times now I'm realizing
Real love is hard to find take it while you can get it
I don't know if he's still here you keep telling me to forget
Still I wake at night and I call your name
Dreaming of you
I wake at night always the same
I call your name but you sleep right through
And love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know now love won't pass you by
Love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know your eyes don't lie
All the vicious games we play they mean nothing to me
All I know is your touch and the way love should be
Deep down within your eyes a war is raging
What you fought before you can fight no more
'Cause inside your heart is breaking
Still I wake at night and I call your name
Dreaming of you
I wake at night always the same
I call your name but you sleep right through
And love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know now love won't pass you by
Love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know your eyes, your eyes don't lie
Still I wake at night and I call your name
Dreaming of you
I wake at night always the same
I call your name but you sleep right through
And love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know now love won't pass you by
Love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know your eyes don't lie
Love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know now love won't pass you by
Love is the light in your face
Turn to the sky
I know now
I know your eyes don't lie
The March Violets' "Turn To The Sky" is a melancholy song that talks about the struggle of love and how it can be a double-edged sword. The song is about someone who has been hurt in love before and is cautious not to get hurt again. The lyrics suggest that the person has been deceived in love before, and even though still yearning for it, they refuse to fall again. The lines "You took the words right from my lips without asking" and "What you've bought before you can buy no more" describe how the person is not willing to go through the same experience again.
However, the singer concedes that real love is hard to find, and when found, it should be held onto tightly. They sing, "Real love is hard to find, take it while you can get it." The chorus is a call to love, that when found, the person should "Turn to the sky" and embrace it fully since it will not pass them by.
The last verse of the song is a plea for the person not to play games with their love. The singer implores the person to embrace the love they have and not to let it go. The lines "All the vicious games we play they mean nothing to me" and "Inside your heart is breaking" suggest that the person is still holding onto past hurts, and these will cause them to lose the love they have in their life. In the end, the message of the song is that love is a beautiful thing, and when found, it should be fully embraced and not taken for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
You took the words right from my lips, without asking
You stole my words; I didn't give you permission.
I've played the scene before and I won't be the one left crying
I've been in this situation before and won't let myself be hurt again.
And if you think that love's for sale, well I'm not buying
I won't settle for fake love or be someone's commodity.
What you've bought before you can buy no more
You can't buy my love; it's not for sale.
'Cause I'm all out of love, I can't take no more
I have no love left to give and can't handle anymore heartbreak.
Tonight is fading fast the sun is rising
It's getting late and morning is approaching.
I've been down so many times now I'm realizing
I've experienced a lot of pain and am starting to understand things more clearly.
Real love is hard to find take it while you can get it
True love is rare, so seize it when you have the chance.
I don't know if he's still here you keep telling me to forget
I'm unsure if he's still around, but you're insisting that I move on.
Still I wake at night and I call your name
I can't stop thinking about you and call out for you in my sleep.
Dreaming of you
I dream of being with you.
I wake at night always the same
I consistently wake up at night with thoughts of you.
But you sleep right through
You're unaffected and unaware of my feelings.
And love is the light in your face
Love illuminates your face and makes you shine.
Turn to the sky
Look up to the heavens.
I know now
I understand now.
I know now love won't pass you by
I know now that true love won't elude you.
All the vicious games we play they mean nothing to me
All these harmful mind games have no value to me.
All I know is your touch and the way love should be
All I care about is your physical touch and experiencing genuine love.
Deep down within your eyes a war is raging
Your inner self is struggling and in turmoil.
What you fought before you can fight no more
You've expended all your energy struggling, and can't fight anymore.
'Cause inside your heart is breaking
You're hurting internally and your heart is in despair.
And love is the light in your face
Love radiates from your face and affects your whole being.
I know your eyes don't lie
I trust what I see in your eyes; it reflects your true feelings.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ASHTON, ELLIOTT, MURRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind