Welcome to the second edition of the new Squire Fan Club Newsletter! The previous edition was also sent as a hard copy to all those who bought the September Gurls vinyl edition in the UK. (We’re sorry we couldn’t send it to overseas fans). It is reprinted on the new Hilo Records website, more of that in a moment, and if you want, we can email you a PDF copy of the printed version which was designed as an homage of the very first 1982 newsletter! We hope you will enjoy receiving future news of Squire. Of course, you can always unsubscribe from the mailing list.
A special hello to all the fans that came to see us play live on the Secret Affair tour way back in May and June this year. We are pleased to announce that there are still five more opportunities to see Squire this year! Firstly, at a joint headline date at the Sports Bar in Tamworth on 26th October, so short notice but – still a month away! The date is with The Dream Factory who’s sound is a mix of psychedelic pop and soul. They also have a new record due featuring drummer Steve White from The Paul Weller Band, Tim Stark from The Specials on trombone and Bryan Corbett from Brand New Heavies on trumpet! So sounds very compatible with Squire’s ‘Get Smart’ period.
And straight after in November, we will be playing two dates with From The Jam! Featuring Bruce Foxton from the original Jam line-up, they will be playing the Setting Sons Album, first released in 1979. So there is a strong local connection, as both The Jam and Squire origininated from Woking in Surrey. The From The Jam/Squire dates are Friday 1st November at the Empire Coventry and Saturday 2nd at The Foundry at Sheffield University. The final dates of the year are with The Style Councillors at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham on Saturday 23rd November and at the Corn Exchange in Hertford on Friday 6th December. Remember we played at the Rescue Rooms on May 11th with Secret Affair, so it’s our second visit to Nottingham this year!
In the last newsletter, we mentioned an upcoming single release, and of course those who subscribe to the Squire Facebook page or Bandcamp will already have seen the re-release of the first ever Squire single, Get Ready To Go! with Livin' In The City on the flip side, released on 21st August in red and green vinyl! A fantastic celebration Squire’s first ever record, indeed the first ever record from any band involved in the Mod Revival. An amazing distinction.
The sleeve was designed by our honorary Squire member Paul Bevoir, and comes in the same glossy varnished sleeve as the previous Squire single ‘Eight Miles High’/’Rain’ that appeared in 2014. There are still copies of Get Ready To Go! single in stock, and today we are excited to announce that the record, and all Squire records will be available not only from our Squire Bandcamp page, https://squire.bandcamp.com but also from our updated dedicated web site at Hilo Records, https://www.hilorecords.co.uk where you will also find other goodies such as the 'Its A Mod Mod World' Tee shirt, introduced on the last tour, some super rare Sugarplum CDs that showcase Anthony’s post Squire song writing, the Squire tribute CD that was released some 10 years ago featuring 16 bands from all over the world performing newly recorded interpretations of all your favourite Squire songs, and we have also found some original unfolded Squire Get Smart posters from 1983! We have saved some copies especially for fans! All available on the Hilo Records website.
We have been absolutely knocked out by the great record reviews received for the September Gurls Extended Edition album. In particular Sarge from Scootering was particularly complimentary as he describes the record as “power pop par excellence... raw quality at its peak...genius songwriter!”; David Bash in Shindig considers ‘the new material stands with the best of the bands work’ and Viva Le Rock exclaims ‘Squire were widely viewed at the time as the best of the new Mod bands’! We’re blushing!
We couldn’t believe how quickly the September Gurls CDs and vinyl records sold, a massive thank you to everyone who bought them, and also posted pictures on the Facebook pages of the new disc on their turntable - sometimes next to the original September Gurls mini album. The red vinyl limited edition vinyl copies have long since sold out and although there are a few black vinyl discs in stock, we are so delighted with the reception of the record that we decided to manufacture some more copies, this time in Blue vinyl. These are immediately available from the Hilo records and Bandcamp websites and look wonderful. So if you missed out on the red vinyl copy or just want to have both in you collection, now is the time!
However, we are saving the most exciting news until last! Today sees the release of a brand new Squire LP! Get Ready To Go! - The Album. The record contains 14 tracks that will surprise you! And is available immediately on CD and download, and due as a pre order in black or green vinyl and as a special edition cassette.
The 14 tracks capture the sound of the embryonic Squire. Recorded in 1977 -78 and remixed earlier this year, together with a brand new song (I’m 21) the recordings present a silhouette of the pre 1979 band with numbers that reveal all the pop sensibilities, lyrical twists and driving energy that merged to become the signature sound of the first singles.
The economical four track arrangements display a less elaborate beat group sound that marry an internal desire for pop and an external desire to sound contemporary in the eras climate of the emerging punk, new wave, ska and angular guitar sounds! The original sessions intended for a fictional band - The Numbers, contributed three songs on the Squire Fan Club Album - We Are The Numbers, Teenage Girl and I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend. However a vast archive of unheard recording remained!
The collection is joined by ‘I’m 21’, a new song and contemporary look over the shoulder at life flying past, while the following tracks uncover the diverse influences that fed into Anthony’s first songwriting excursions. The lyrics impart the adolescent frustrations of the time, while the playing contributes a genuine urgency and ambition to set free! There are many unexpected delights on the way, the harmonica and blues influence, the proto punk guitars, the power pop and Beatlesque melodies, the missing mod excursions, the ska connection, the original Livin’ In The City sung by Anthony. It’s all here!!
So this is the ‘angry’ Squire! The prototype sound, the first steps towards the familiar positive mod inspired recordings. As the sleeve notes say- we may only be young once, but now we can be young twice! Turn it up and jump up and down with the spirit of youth! Jump for joy to the sound of Squire!
We are looking forward to seeing some of you as we play our final dates of 2019, in what has been an exceptional year for us! Thank you all!