june brides: a january moon

The June Brides crammed a lot into their short first life—NME cover stars, invited by Morrissey to tour with The Smiths—and left a beloved album and clutch of singles when they bowed out in 1986. Their influence has since been acknowledged and their songs covered by acolytes including the Manic Street Preachers. Now band leader Phil Wilson has mustered most of his original troops for a new double A-side single on Slumberland and live appearances including the Indietracks festival in July and Occultation Recordings’ End of the Pier show with The Distractions and Factory Star in Manchester at the end of August. The new single builds on the success of Wilson’s solo album, God Bless Jim Kennedy, released in 2010. He takes up the story: “We didn’t plan to reform, it just happened. I formed a trio three years ago, then Frank and Jon from the original June Brides joined us and, although I didn’t want to cash in on the name, when The Loft asked us to join them for a one-off concert I asked our old guitarist Simon Beesley and it seemed foolish to resist calling it The June Brides.” “A January Moon” is the silver lining and a classic example of Wilson’s way with a melody, whereas “Cloud,” a previously unreleased Granite Shore song, shows the darker shadow cast upon this moon. Taken together, they show that Wilson and The June Brides are still a very potent pop force, and that age has only deepened their talents.