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
Walk Into the Sun
The March Violets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Catch the beat and born again
Come into the drawing room
She draws them in
That smoke filled room
Broken glasses token smiles
Dust is fine so she breathes it in she
Circulates with ermine hands
Now walk
Into the sun
Statues moving in the ballroom
On the dancefloor all is bright
Vicious sins of gentlefolk
I love my horse that's the joke
Find your picture in the mirror
Find your portrait on the wall
Turn the sundial back again
This is a dance for everyone
Walk with me now
The sun machine is coming down
And we're gonna have a party
Statues slowly click their fingers
Catch the beat and born again
East is west and west is east
Follow me into the garden
Find your future in the crystal
Leave your friendship in the hall
Follow me now this is the way
This is a dance for everyone
The March Violets' song "Walk Into the Sun" was released in 1984 as a single and was later included in their first album, "Natural History." The song has an enigmatic quality to it, making it open to several interpretations. It features a slow beat, distorted vocals, and a melancholic melody. The lyrics are poetic, full of symbolism, and paint a surreal picture of a party or a dance.
The lyrics of the song suggest a decadent and hedonistic party where people are dancing, smoking and drinking. The "she" in the song is the hostess who circulates with "ermine hands." Ermine signifies luxury, royalty, and opulence. She is picking wallflowers one by one, indicating that she is attentive to each of her guests, making sure that everyone has a good time. The "broken glasses, token smiles" and "vicious sins of gentlefolk" suggest that the guests are feigning happiness and decorum, but beneath the surface, there are darker motives at play. The song's title "Walk into the Sun" is an invitation to join in the revelry, to indulge in the pleasures of the moment and forget one's worries.
The lyrics also refer to several symbols that add depth to the song's meanings. The sun machine, for example, is a reference to the eponymous book by John Gunther about his son Johnny's battle with a brain tumor. The book was popular in the 1950s, and Gunther wrote that the "sun machine" (a variation of an X-ray machine) was used to treat his son. The line "Turn the sundial back again" may be a metaphor for trying to go back in time and relive happy memories. The song's title "Walk Into the Sun" can also be read as a metaphor for chasing after something that is unattainable or trying to reach a goal that may ultimately be destructive.
Line by Line Meaning
Statues slowly click their fingers
The lifeless statues seem to be tapping their fingers to the beat of the music
Catch the beat and born again
Feel the rhythm and come to life
Come into the drawing room
Enter the room where people are gathered
She draws them in
She attracts them with her charisma
That smoke filled room
The room is filled with smoke from cigarettes
Broken glasses token smiles
People are pretending to be happy despite things being broken
Dust is fine so she breathes it in she
She is so comfortable and familiar with her surroundings that she doesn't mind breathing in dust
Circulates with ermine hands
She moves through the room with graceful hands
Picking the wallflowers one by one
She is selectively choosing people to spend time with
Now walk
Into the sun
Come out of the darkness and into the light
Statues moving in the ballroom
The statues are now moving along with the music
On the dancefloor all is bright
The dancefloor is a bright and lively place
Vicious sins of gentlefolk
Even the gentlefolk have their own secret sins
I love my horse that's the joke
A seemingly strange comment, maybe meaning that the singer loves something unconventional or unapproachable
Find your picture in the mirror
See your own reflection in the mirror
Find your portrait on the wall
See a portrait that represents you on the wall
Turn the sundial back again
Alter time itself
This is a dance for everyone
Everyone is welcome to join in the dance
Walk with me now
Come along with me
The sun machine is coming down
The end is near
And we're gonna have a party
Let's enjoy ourselves while we still can
East is west and west is east
The world is changing and nothing is certain
Follow me into the garden
Come with me, where life continues
Find your future in the crystal
Look into the crystal ball to see what the future holds
Leave your friendship in the hall
Abandon your companions and move forward
Follow me now this is the way
Take my lead, I know where to go
This is a dance for everyone
This is a celebration that anyone can participate in
Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Filby
I'm slowly discovering that post-punk and goth rock really work for me and the March Violets have been a great gateway into that.
No Eyes
They had a gig down my way, like the town i was in at the time, didn't go, regret it a little, but it would have been a with people thing so i didnt go, wanna go me own👍
No Eyes
Lorries man, they are proper class, rosetta stone from leads too👍
S Boloshis
Altered states, Christian death : ( Sleepwalk and Romeos distress are classics at least to me.)
Julio Hernandez
@Alexander August so true☻
2112jonr
Check out The Mission - they're on tour from the end of Feb 2020. Still excellent live: http://www.themissionuk.com/wp/europarty/
Madora Lunamar
This is sooooooooooo a great song !!!!! This song makes me always GOOD VIBRATIONS !!!!!! ;o)
Dawnie
Got this on vinyl from back in the day , brilliant a time from my youth
Ray Karma
Just found this little gem in my old 7" record box... and still lovin it in 2020!!! The first and only gith record I ever brought... apart from She Sell Sanctuary by The Cult... happy days lol
No Eyes
Man its goth but its music, so ic temple, album by the cult, its like she sells, but pretty much a whole album but before she sells album came out, or maybe after i can't remember. seriously man, if you like rock music, get it, its good👍