NEWS: Former Bluetones man Mark Morriss releasing new album via PledgeMusic

Former Bluetones frontman Mark Morriss is recording his second solo album, his first since the demise of his old band. After hearing a number of tracks in live and demo form I can confirm that this is an exciting prospect that is likely to result in a fantastic record. Even more brilliantly, the album is being funded by fans via the innovative PledgeMusic site. In return for helping Mark out you can get hold of signed CDs, admission to special album playback events, T shirts, as well as your name featured in the album’s credits! 


You can read more about the project and be a part of this album by going to Mark’s PledgeMusic page HERE.

“Good morrow to you reader, and welcome to my PledgeMusic page.
I am pleased to announce that later on this year I shall be recording my follow up album to 2008’s Memory Muscle, and releasing it in conjunction with those good eggs at PledgeMusic.


By doing things this way it will allow me to get the album out into the world a lot faster than normal, once it is all finished, and also make available a range of exclusive and limited edition offers to those of you who decide to get on board, and indeed ‘pledge’ your support, both spiritual (naturally) and financial.


Basically, I’m asking for you to pay up front for an album you’ve not heard yet, based solely on the fact that you like my previous work, so hardly a gamble on your part, right? (ahem)


As a ‘Pledger’ you can buy up all kinds of junk, such as a signed copy of the finished album as well as a range of exclusive offers including limited edition t-shirts, original artwork, invitation to exclusive evenings arranged by yours truly (I’m specifically thinking of a few pop quizzes I’ll be hosting up and down the land) as well as other bits of bumph and memorabilia (a kidney, anyone?).


No matter how much you choose to Pledge though, you’ll receive a copy of the album as a digital download before it hits the shops as well as access to my “Pledgers Only Updates Section” , a free web-page where I’ll keep you up to date with the progress of the album in the form of video diaries, blogs, photos etc.


The record is all written and demo-ed and ready to go, and I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with you, the ‘real’ fans, yeah? Not like those other fly-by-nights. 
The hard-core. I want you to hear it first because I like you better. There. I’ve said it.


Thanks for looking in.


M x”

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PHOTOGRAPHY – Photos of Mark Morriss (June 2012) – by Mr Scott

Photos of Mark Morriss, former lead singer with The Bluetones and now brilliant solo artist in his own right. These pictures were taken by me at the Victorious Vintage festival, held at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on the 2nd of June 2012. For a review of the gig (and videos) go HERE.

Mark Morriss of The Bluetones – two new tracks

Former lead singer of The Bluetones Mark Morriss has began work on his new solo album, and has made available for free two demo tracks which you can download from his website at http://markmorriss.me/. 


‘Low Company’ in particular is unmistakably good. 


(SOURCE – MARK MORRISS FACEBOOK)


Mark Morriss is a singer songwriter who famously made his
name fronting English indie outfit The Bluetones. Mark
fronted the four piece over a successful and fruitful 15
year period, scoring 14 top ten singles and 3 top ten
albums, whilst touring the UK, Europe and Japan. At the
back end of 2011 the decision was made to disband The
Bluetones, resulting in a shock farewell tour. Hordes of
loyal Bluetones fans turned out in their thousands to give
the band they called their own, a fond and sad farewell.

A case of unfinished business, Mark Morriss has now
turned his attentions to his solo career. After releasing
‘Memory Muscle ‘ in 2008, Mark has since penned material
for a new record. Due for an Autumn release, early demos
recorded with long standing Producer, Gordon Mills (Ed
Sheeran/Newton Faulkner) have sparked great excitement
from fans and industry a-like. Fans have been treated to a
two track giveaway in ‘Low Company’ & ‘Guilty Again’
through the official website www.markmorriss.me

Touring extensively throughout the remainder of 2012 and
gearing towards the much anticipated album release, you
can catch Mark Morriss live as he continues to tour up and
down the UK. 

The Bluetones bring the curtain down on their career with homecoming London show

The Bluetones wrapped up their 18 year career with a homecoming gig in London last night (September 27).


The four piece, who consisted of Mark Morriss, Adam Devlin, Scott Morriss and Eds Chesters, were formed in nearby Hounslow in 1993 and brought the curtain down with a career spanning set at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. The band decided to call it a day earlier this year with a farewell tour after six studio albums.


Kicking off the show with ‘Unpainted Arizona’, it wasn’t long before Morriss drew attention to the fact that tonight was their last ever UK show. “The penny has only dropped in the last 10 minutes that this is actually it,” he told the crowd before he joked. “But we’ve had enough. There will be tears but that will come after the show. Now it’s time to celebrate.”



The band were greeted with football chants of ‘Bluetones’, ‘Bluetones’ throughout the set as they rolled off hits from their back catalogue including ‘Cut Some Rug’, ‘Bluetonic’ and their biggest UK single ‘Slight Return’, which peaked at Number Two in 1996.


Introducing the track, Morriss said: ‘Ladies and gentleman, this was our most popular song in Poland which is a shame because we never got a chance to go out there which is one of the most disappointing moments in our career.” You can watch footage of ‘Slight Return’ by scrolling down and clicking below.

The band wrapped up the show with two encores the first of which saw Morriss sing and clap a few bars from Queen’s ‘Radio Ga Ga’ during ‘If…’ before the band returned to throw flowers into the crowd.


Signing off with ‘A Parting Gesture’, Morriss added: There’s really nothing left to say. You take care of yourselves because we’re not going to be able to anymore. Thank you very much, we were The Bluetones.
The Bluetones played:




‘Unpainted Arizona’
‘Zorrro’
‘Surrendered’
‘Fast Boy’
‘Autophilia Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Car’
‘Tiger Lily’
‘Cut Some Rug’
‘Bluetonic’
‘A New Athens’
‘Sleazy Bed Track’
‘After Hours’
‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’
‘Solomon Bites The Worm’
‘Marblehead Johnson’
‘One Speed Gearbox’
‘Slight Return’
‘Never Going Nowhere’
‘Slack Jaw’
‘I Was A Teenage Jesus’
‘If….’
‘Emily’s Pine’
‘A Parting Gesture’

The Bluetones to split later this year: A tribute… and their finest moments….

So yesterday (April 28th 2011) The Bluetones announced that they are to part company after a final tour. 


In the mid 1990’s, the Britpop boom came and along with it brought The Bluetones to the attention of many music lovers, including myself….. I remember seeing the video for ‘Slight Return’ on ITV’s ‘The Chart Show’ back in the day, beginning a fondness for the group that lasted long after Britpop had come and gone. 


In 1996 their debut album ‘Expecting to Fly’ knocked Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? off the Number 1 spot in the UK album charts and delivered three Top 20 singles in the form of  ‘Bluetonic’, ‘Slight Return’ and ‘Cut Some Rug’. In 1998 the follow up ‘Return to The Last Chance Saloon’ went top ten, spawning three more top 40 singles as the group’s reputation as a great live act began to grow. It was at this point in my post-Britpop indie kid phase that I became a big fan of the group, as the singles ‘If’ and ‘Solomon Bites The Worm’ remained two of favorite songs from a great year. In 2000, a new single ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’ maintained their position as a great band, and upon the single’s release the band did a signing session at Bristol’s Virgin Megastore, where I met the group. And they were a really nice bunch of guys, very flattered by the praise I was laying on them for producing “my favorite single of the year so far” and glad to chat and sign things…. The next album ‘Science And Nature’ was a good one…. The record came out in 2000, reaching number 7 in the UK charts and bringing two more top 20 hits.


Going slightly quiet after ‘Science And Nature’, the group released a singles collection before parting ways with their record label. It was at this point the group’s commercial success declined, as many people had forgot about the group already, including me I suppose. Because by the time they released ‘Luxembourg’ in 2003 I’d just got into punk rock, and the indie bands I still liked were all changing directions. Even the NME must have failed to tell me there was a new Bluetones album out, and with The Evening Session gone there wasn’t anywhere on radio where I could’ve heard their new material. Another three years passed and a self titled album was released (again, to very little attention or success), before the group (or their former record labels) decided on attempting to revive fortunes with an endless parade of best ofs, B-Sides collections, live albums and other things. 


Then in 2009 I rediscovered the group and all the music they enhanced my teenage years with. And brilliantly so, they had a new album around the corner that was to prove they were still a great band. ‘A New Athens’ failed completely in the charts, but for loyal fans the album was their best set of songs in years and for returning fans like me the album proved that the band were worth returning to…..


Then yesterday, this:


“After 17 years and 6 albums, The Bluetones have decided that the time has arrived to call it a day and move on to other challenges,” says frontman Mark Morriss. “Before disappearing forever though, we will be heading out for one last tour, as a chance to say farewell and thank you to all the fans that have sustained us over these years, with a career spanning Greatest Hits/Best Of… style set of songs. It’s gonna be emotional.” 

Maybe it’s only right that the group disband now… perhaps they know that no matter how great their records may be, none of them are going to get played on mainstream radio and they certainly won’t do well in the charts. Maybe they resigned to the fact that Britpop was their time and that outliving other bands from that time was the best achievement they could manage. Or perhaps because ‘A New Athens’ was such a brilliant return to form, they knew it couldn’t be topped, therefore going out at the top of their game (creatively anyway).

Here are my favorite Bluetones moments:

SONG FOR TODAY: The Bluetones – Keep The Home Fires Burning

So Britpop veterans The Bluetones are to split up later this year…. The band announced they would split after a farewell tour in September 2011, with a message from frontman Mark Morriss saying “After 17 years and 6 albums, The Bluetones have decided that the time has arrived to call it a day and move on to other challenges. Before disappearing forever though, we will be heading out for one last tour, as a chance to say farewell and thank you to all the fans that have sustained us over these years, with a career-spanning Greatest Hits/Best Of… style set of songs. It’s gonna be emotional.


Of course most people will remember them for ‘Slight Return’, their biggest hit from 1996. But for me the third album ‘Science And Nature’ had some brilliant tracks on it, and this is probably still my favorite…