I’m on a shoegazy mood today. I’ve been playing the first 12″ single by The Suncharms after lunch. It’s been spinning for an hour today. Mind you, it only has four songs. But I’m not bored or anything by it. I actually enjoy it, puts me on a good mood while playing some computer games on a relaxing summer Sunday. Yes, I stayed indoors this weekend, the weather is way too hot to walk a block and not be bathed in your own sweat. One of those reasons you would never want to live in this swamp called Miami.
The good news is that I’ve got a lot of things done. I got back on track and I’m up to date with almost everything. Just missing to answer some emails, but that won’t be any problem during the week. I finally sent to press the Youngfuck 7″ and I can say the release date will be within the first half of October. When the test pressings arrive I’ll set the release date. There has been many pre-orders and that is quite something as the band decided to split after that beautiful gig at London Popfest earlier this year. Still remember going backstage and convincing all of them to come for pizza. But that’s a story for another day. On other Cloudberry news, Very Truly Yours have just unveiled a video for the single “Girls Tell You Secrets” that we just put out less than a month ago. Please click here and have a look at this precious piece of Super 8 video.
Next weekend there won’t be a Cloudberry update on the blog or an obscure band of the week. I’ll be traveling to Seattle and Vancouver, possibly Victoria too, for the Labour Day weekend. Should be fun. I will try to update during the week. In any case, I’ve been conducting many interviews during the past weeks, so hopefully there will be answers and that will be posted on the blog. Talking about the blog, I know I had mentioned before about making a couple of books containing the posts and interviews. I may pick up that again starting October. It’s just that the past months have been really busy! Also the blog will have it’s on label, the Cloudberry Cake Library. First release is shaping up and hopefully it will be successful enough for more releases. More news on that soon. You’ll be really surprised!
By this time of the day the Let’s Kiss and Make Up festival, their Indie Pop Days, must be over. I feel gutted that I couldn’t attend. Last years was among my favourite weekends ever. I’m sure it was a success. I have all the intention to go next year. I have a dream of working together with them into making a Cloudberry special event for the 5 years of the label. Would anyone be interested in that?
Talking about LKAMU, that might be the reason I’m all shoegazy today. My dear friend Kat, one of the organizers, is one of those that dies for shoegaze. She knows much more about it of course, and she likes the more spacey shoegaze as well. I like the poppy one. I’m a bit jealous of her having the chance to watch Sundae play live. Cristóbal’s band doesn’t play often, even less outside their native Spain. Their sound is not that far away from The Suncharms, with a Spanish edge if you know what I mean. Like Suncharms mixed with Dar Ful Ful. That would be something. And then the hefeweizen pouring at the Kreuzberg Wasserturm, how would I not like to be there?! And the table football! Wonder if anyone could beat Anders this year. Good times for indiepop!
This week I’ve also got to listen quite a bit of CDs:
1. Jasmine Minks – Poppy White (Oatcake)
2. Tiny Fireflies – Your Love (Little Treasure)
3. The Bicycle Thieves – 1986-1990 (CDR compiled by the band)
4. Northern Picturel Library – Alaska / Love Song for the Dead Che (LTM)
5. Various Artists – All Done with Mirrors (Le Grand Magistery)
6. The Candy Dates – Yep! (Twang)
7. Burning Hearts – Into the Wilderness (Shelflife)
A couple of weeks ago I managed to get a copy of the Suncharms EP 12″ from ebay. Today I ordered the second 12″. I don’t think that would change my mind about this band. I’ve heard the tracks already and they are as good. The information on the band is scarce on the web but there’s one page, that like an oasis, has very valuable information. That is the Birdpoo page.
The band was formed by Marcus Palmer on vocals, Matt Neale and John Malone on guitars, Richard Farnell on bass and Chris Ridley on drums. They hailed from Huddersfield and got their name from a soft drinks factory from their home town that sold Dandelion and Burdock Lemonade in glass bottles. But before settling on that name they released one track on a compilation album called “Rubberoid” under the name “Charming Seed”. The song on this album was “Where’s Your Mind Gone”. Sadly I haven’t had the chance to hear the song or the album. And no results on google.
Not long after they signed with Norwich’s (which is not a barren land at all) Wilde Club Records, home of Catherine Wheel. With them they will release their first 12″, simply named “EP” being catalog number WILDE 6 and then later the “Tranquil Day” EP, also a 12″, catalog number WILDE 8. Both of them are a burst of guitars, layers and layers, and the whispered vocals of Marcus. The sound is addictive, feels big and it swoons, and then it swirls, it’s not dreamy shoegaze, it’s quite aggressive, it has that C86 edge and nerve that I love. “Sparkle” has also that psychedelic vibe, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was played at a club and the dancefloor got on fire. Well, at least in my dreams it would happen. I should try DJing it next time.
The tracks on the first 12″ are: “Sparkle”, “Reflections”, “Time Will Tell” and “One I See”. It was recorded at Epic Head Studies in Sheffield and remixed at Purple Rain Studios in Norfolk. The contact information doesn’t say Huddersfield though, but Broomhall which is a district of Sheffield to the west of the city centre. It occupies the land that once belonged to Broom Hall, a historic mansion still in existence today, which dates from at least the 15th century. Maybe a place to visit next time? Never been to Sheffield.
On the second 12″ we find the songs: “Tranquil Day”, “Wash Away”, She Feels” and “Space Ship”. Don’t have much more information on this record, but when it gets delivered to my house I could do an update. It is worth mention that “Wash Away” also appears on a Wilde Club Records CD compilation called “I Might Walk Home Alone”. Also “Sparkle” from the first 12″ appears on this compilation album. I’ve been looking for this compilation for a while as it includes tracks by Shine! and The Bardots as well. If you have a spare copy, don’t be shy! Send it my way 🙂
In 1992, a big highlight happens in The Suncharms career. They get invited to record a Peel Session. On April 26 of that year they record four songs: “Magic Carpet”, “Into the Sun”, Space Ship” and “On Reflection”. These were produced by Mark Engles. Might be great to hear those songs at some point!
From the Birdpoo page we also learn that they played at the Radio One’s “Sound City” festival in 1993. I believe Pulp and Aphex Twin played this festival. I don’t like these bands but them playing means this festival was quite big. After that they kind of split, not officially though.
Doing some research I found two videos on Youtube. One for Sparkle and another for Space Ship. The Sparkle one seems to be not a proper video but an edition of live clips, whereas Space Ship does look like a proper video. Do check them out! The user who upload them seems to be part of the band as it’s name is “charmingseed”. As you remember that was the first incarnation of The Suncharms. Sadly he hasn’t been online since 2008.
And that’s about it. No more traces of this great band. Whatever happened to them? Two EPs and no album? Maybe they had more recordings and we don’t know. Would be great to know more about them. If anyone has any more information about them, please let me know.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Listen
The Suncharms – Sparkle
5 Responses to “:: The Suncharms”
Purple Rain in Great Yarmouth – not only kippers and bloaters, then. Wilde Club in Norwich – a different pub for every day, a church for every Sunday, that’s what the place’s known for. No wonder they know what they’re doing. The Suncharms – wow, brill, my fave is Spaceship, thanks
Hello- I’m Julie, Marcus Suncharm’s girlfriend. Marcus is currently entertaining our 10 month old daughter Evie, so I’m replying to you on his behalf. Thought you’d want to see this response from Richard Farnell, posted on a Sheffield blog back in 2009. Also, if you highlight and right click the links below, it should take you to these tracks stored in my Dropbox (I hope!!). They’re taken from the John Peel session, and two demo tracks written in 1989.
Hope you enjoy.
November, 2009 at 6:45pm | #3 Quote
Hello!
Richard Farnell – Ex Suncharms bass player here just pointing out a few mistakes in the above posting!. Firstly we were NOT from Huddersfield! (but the Sun Charm/Ben Shaws soft drink company factory was)-and yes we did take the name from a can of pop, it seemed to fit our sound-(fizzy pop!) and we liked the slightly psychedelic logo on the can.
Myself and Marcus were from Stocksbridge, Matt and Chris were from Sheffield and John lived in Bamford. We were previously known as The Eunuchs but were encouraged to change our name by David Gedge after a chance meeting at a Wedding Present gig- he didn’t like it and we figured he knew what he was talking about!.
We were signed to Wilde Club records on the strength of our first demo-(produced by “Nort” of Sheff industrialists HULA). This was also home to The Catherine wheel at the time so I think that may have led to some confusion above…we very much had our own record sleeve!. We also recorded a Peel session which was broadcast twice.
The debut E.P reached the heady hights of number 23 in the indie charts and we did quite a few gigs around the country to promote it. We supported bands such as CURVE, CRANES, BRILLIANT CORNERS and often played local gigs with SUGARDRIVE and CRADLEYARD.
I’m still not sure why it all fizzled out..I think education/careers may have started to get in the way and I suppose we were never the hardest working band..rehearsing once or twice a month, gigging occasionally and perhaps with hindsight not giving it our full attention – something which I now regret as I’m sure we could have done more.
In 1993 we started recording tracks for an album but it just never went further..guess we’ll have to wait for the box set!.
In 1995 I moved to Manchester and now co-own Vinyl Exchange record shop.
Marcus works in housing, Chris and Matt are teachers and sadly I’ve no idea what John is doing.
Hope this has cleared up a few points.
Thanks,
Richard Suncharm xx
Sheffield blog
23 November, 2009 at 6:19pm | #4 Quote
Cheers for setting the record straight there Richard! Let us know when the comback gig is sorted
Richard Farnell
29 November, 2009 at 6:30pm | #5 Quote
Thanks – we may be waiting some time!.
I think another reason we ground to a halt was that we were signed to a small label based in Norwich and in those pre-internet days everything to do with the label was a phone call and a four hour drive away!.
In our eagerness to get a record out we simply went for the first thing to come along..let that be a lesson to any young bands out there!.
Between 1998 – 2003 I played in a Manchester band called Screen Prints who released several 7″ singles which were compiled onto the c.d album “perfect city” on Earworm records. Still under the influence of The Pastels, Teenage Fanclub etc it might be of interest to anyone who remembers The Suncharms.
Thanks,
Richard Suncharm x
Think you’ll be interested in reading a reply posted by Richard Farnell
Links to the tracks:
http://db.tt/TuZvGsV (Magic Carpet- John Peel session)
http://db.tt/IWami66 (On Reflection- John Peel session)
http://db.tt/vaFpul5 (Sort It Out- demo tape Epic Head Sheffield)
http://db.tt/MwQsHsU (Spaceship- John Peel session)
http://db.tt/JQF3y3x (To The Sun- John Peel session)
http://db.tt/zYIUlVx (Verge Of Tears- demo tape Epic Head Sheffield)
Hello!
Richard Farnell – Ex Suncharms bass player here just pointing out a few mistakes in the above posting!. Firstly we were NOT from Huddersfield! (but the Sun Charm/Ben Shaws soft drink company factory was)-and yes we did take the name from a can of pop, it seemed to fit our sound-(fizzy pop!) and we liked the slightly psychedelic logo on the can.
Myself and Marcus were from Stocksbridge, Matt and Chris were from Sheffield and John lived in Bamford. We were previously known as The Eunuchs but were encouraged to change our name by David Gedge after a chance meeting at a Wedding Present gig- he didn’t like it and we figured he knew what he was talking about!.
We were signed to Wilde Club records on the strength of our first demo-(produced by “Nort” of Sheff industrialists HULA). This was also home to The Catherine wheel at the time. We also recorded a Peel session which was broadcast twice.
The debut E.P reached the heady hights of number 23 in the indie charts and we did quite a few gigs around the country to promote it. We supported bands such as CURVE, CRANES, BRILLIANT CORNERS and often played local gigs with SUGARDRIVE and CRADLEYARD.
I’m still not sure why it all fizzled out..I think education/careers may have started to get in the way and I suppose we were never the hardest working band..rehearsing once or twice a month, gigging occasionally and perhaps with hindsight not giving it our full attention – something which I now regret as I’m sure we could have done more.
In 1993 we started recording tracks for an album but it just never went further..guess we’ll have to wait for the box set!.
In 1995 I moved to Manchester and now co-own Vinyl Exchange record shop.
Marcus works in housing, Chris and Matt are teachers and sadly I’ve no idea what John is doing.
Hope this has cleared up a few points.
Thanks,
Richard Suncharm
P.s – let us know if you’d like a copy of the Peel Session and we’ll do our best to send you an Mp3 – you can email me too for more info about the band.
This is a long shot,as this blog is so old but found it whilst curiously tryin to look you up RF. Hope u remember me. 1987/8. Would be great to catch up if u like, just for the hell of it. 🙂 Jeanette x
Great to read all this. Proud to have released the two 12″ Eps.
Barry
(Wilde Club Records)
ps. I have copies of the compilation I Might Walk Home Alone. Anyone interested can get a copy for £6 (inc P&P) Send a cheque made out to Barry Newman, to – 114 Somerleyton Gardens, Norwich NR2 2BP.