Although unconventional in its creation, the good news is that Wingmen is not just a studio project and will be a band that plays live. As for the future of Wingmen, well that remains to be seen, so take the opportunity to see them now if you can. Due to be released January 27 th via Cadiz Music, it’s important to stress that at no point during the recording of this debut Wingmen album were the musicians ever in the same room playing together. Although unconventional in its creation, the good news is that Wingmen is not a just a studio project – they will be a band that plays live!

WINGMEN - WINGMEN (2023) - Maximum Volume Music REVIEW: WINGMEN - WINGMEN (2023) - Maximum Volume Music

Down In A Hole” has the air of The Stranglers, and has an unsettling feel, and the spoken word, “Mary Go Round” is almost a Warne recital. The Craufurd Arms accurately describes itself as “A Victorian pub building with a small stage for intimate live gigs in front of an up for it crowd”, and that was very much the experience. I just can’t wait for this line up to hit the stage and play these songs to the public,” continues drummer Marty. With live performance taken out of the equation, in that dark period between 2020 and late 2021, musicians had to get creative. Backstage At The Opera” continues in the same vein, only this time social media “experts” are in the crosshairs, the “me, me, me” culture and Warne’s rant against “selfish northern smartarse bastards” at the end is genuinely fantastic.

And whilst these plains are now thankfully becoming a somewhat distant and almost surreal memory (or nightmare! The lighting wasn’t ideal at this venue, so here’s my video of ‘ I Would If I Could‘ from the following night in Islington.

INTRODUCING WINGMEN DEBUT ALBUM TO BE - All About The Rock

The album is a true collaboration inasmuch as none of us knew what parts or melodies or lyrics might be added by anyone else – it was an immensely exciting process!In essence, the way this album came together is the very definition of a collaborative process with no shortage of ideas and inspiration flowing through into what we can enjoy now through this debut album, especially given the fact that none of the members actually met at any point during this whole process. The music is more interesting than the back story, but potted, it goes like this: The country had gone into lockdown (I’ve got views on that, ask me later) and Johnny Moped’s drummer Marty Love rings The Damned’s Paul Gray and asks him if he fancies doing something (they’d worked on an album previously). The supergroup featuring members of The Stranglers, The Damned, Ruts DC and Johnny Moped are sharing the details of the upcoming tour and debut album. But this is definitely an album that grew on me with each listen and the sound that the Wingmen have created inevitably draws on the collective influences of all their respective bands, with so many sonic nuances bleeding out from the rhythms and melodies weaved through each of the songs. We had no idea where this project might take us; an idea born out of frustration became a full band within 24 hours, words and riffs and much tuneage followed, beers and jolly banter ensued when we finally met up to mix the results, a record company said “yes please!

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Wingmen, the new band formed in pandemic lockdown isolation by Baz Warne ( The Stranglers), Paul Gray ( The Damned), Leigh Heggarty ( Ruts DC) and Marty Love ( Johnny Moped), are excited to finally take their studio bound creations out on the road and have announced a UK tour for January 2023. Wingmen comprise a collective of musicians who were all feeling the impact of these desperately insular times. And as we move into 2023, it is only recently that the band members have actually got together for the first time to rehearse for a short tour of the UK which runs through until the end of January with the band also including Rob Coombes from Supergrass on keyboards. Due to be released January 27 th via Cadiz Music, although Wingmen’s debut album was crafted in seclusion, there’s no doubting that the album’s ten songs, chock full of dynamic songwriting and performances, sound like a band, despite the unconventional way the album was fashioned. Out as confidently as Usain Bolt at a school sports day, it’s the little intro, a bit of foreplay if you will, before we get down to it.

The album is a true collaboration inasmuchas none of us knew what parts or melodies or lyrics might be added by anyone else – it was an immenselyexciting process! I Would If I Could” is almost funky, but the vicious takedown of Tory destruction of the NHS is as acerbic (and true) as can be. My first impression of the album was that it sounded like a hybrid mix of the Stranglers and The Godfathers. Wingmen are exponentially greater than the sum of their parts – five excellent musicians living and loving what they do, and delighting audiences with how well they do it. I’d only ever worked with Marty before, and up until this day we’ve never actually played in the same room together – I knew Leigh but had never met Baz.

Wingmen announce UK tour dates for Jan 2023 | MusicMafiauk Wingmen announce UK tour dates for Jan 2023 | MusicMafiauk

A Stranglers song was played as one of several covers, ‘ Long Black Veil’ from 2004 album ‘ Norfolk Coast’, which Baz dedicated to his late bandmate Dave Greenfield’s widow Pam, who was in attendance. It did not take long, nor require much persuasion, before Leigh Heggarty (guitar with Ruts DC) and Baz Warne (vocals and guitar with The Stranglers) were signed up and a new band was born to quite simply wing it towards putting together a batch of brilliant new songs. Formed virtually during the lockdown on 2020, the band is made up of Baz Warne (The Stranglers), Paul Gray (The Damned), Leigh Heggarty (Ruts DC) and Marty Love (Johnny Moped).We only all met up for the first time at Panther Studios in Reigate when the songs were completed to our satisfaction and were ready to mix…followed by many foaming pints and joie de vive’ness in the pub opposite, of course!