Official press release:
A British export success story, hard rock band Voodoo Vegas has announced details of their second album.
Titled Freak Show Candy Floss (out 4th November via Plastic Head Distribution [PHD]), Voodoo Vegas‘ new release features ten modern rock tracks, oozing showmanship and demonstrating just how far the band has come since the release of 2013’s debut album The Rise Of Jimmy Silver and last year’s EP Hypnotise. Frontman Lawrence Case states:
“I believe we’ve matured as songwriters and musicians, and the new album reflect this. As much as we loved making the first album, last year’s EP was a hint of what was to come next, and we knew we had it in us to deliver the best album possible. And thanks to 2 years of touring around the UK and Europe, supporting some killer bands and learning so much from them and about ourselves as musicians and human beings, we’ve crafted Freak Show Candy Floss and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Bold claims maybe, but there’s no doubt this new album by Voodoo Vegas rocks hard, whilst maintaining its roots in real life, wax lyrical content on all songs, like the powerful swagger of “Backstabber”, to the venomous, bluesy bite of “Poison”, whilst the sublime acoustic ballad “Sleeping In The Rain” tackles the emotional subject matter of homelessness. With lead track “Killing Joke”, the band’s vision of a sick twisted society (“Nobody’s laughing, they’re smiling through the pain”) will soon be realised, courtesy of a new music video. Final track on the album “Walk Away” is the heaviest song the band has put to record and showcases how well Voodoo Vegas mix the light and shade of rock music (“We wrote that in the final week of album pre-production, it’s one of those songs that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and it demanded to be on the album”).
As the album artwork and new band photo demonstrates, Voodoo Vegas have created a big top, circus ambience, something that’s been done to highlight what it’s like to be in a working band like VV in 2016. Guitarist Meryl Hamilton says:
“It’s hard and at times, it’s completely crazy. I mean, don’t get me wrong, to have the opportunity to do what we do is amazing and we’re extremely fortunate. But for anyone that knows what it’s like to be in band, working full on, whilst juggling (see what we did there?) traditional work and personal lives, to people outside this bubble, they think we’re mad.”
Case chimes in:
“Yep. The name Freak Show Candy Floss comes from the idea that people who don’t live in this music world can’t understand why we travel for hours and hours only to play music for a short amount of time. Some people think we are crazy, insane, maybe even FREAKS! The name Freak Show Candy Floss comes from that, we are crazy, we are insane, we are FREAKS who love writing and playing our music, and the candy floss is the music and gigs we play, it’s there, it tastes so sweet, but then it’s gone so quick just like candy floss.”
Talking of freaks, Voodoo Vegas talisman Jimmy Silver returns to the album cover, as the ring leader to the Freak Show Candy Floss Circus.
Recorded at Los Rosales Studios in Moralzarzal, Spain, Freak Show Candy Floss was engineered and produced by Guillermo “Will” Maya (The Answer). The band says:
“Freak Show Candy Floss is the first music written entirely with the new Voodoo Vegas line up. Where some bands find it hard to write their sophomore album, Voodoo Vegas had a ton of energy going into the writing of this album and it didn’t feel like writing our second album, it felt like this was our first. Working with Will again (Maya produced last year’s Hypnotise EP, which featured the debut of this current line up) was a no brainer. The man has helped us craft our best work yet and we’re all looking forward to what happens next.”
Freak Show Candy Floss track listing:
1. “Backstabber”
2. “Long Time Gone”
3. “Resolution”
4. “Killing Joke”
5. “Lady Divine”
6. “Poison”
7. “Black Heart Woman”
8. “Sleeping In The Rain”
9. “I Hear You Scream”
10. “Walk Away”
The new Voodoo Vegas album is officially released via PHD on Friday the 4th of November.
Voodoo Vegas is:
Lawrence Case – Vocals/Harmonica
Merylina Hamilton – Guitar
Ash Moulton – Bass
Jonno Smyth – Drums
Jon Dawson – Guitar
Tour dates:
9/09 – FERNDOWN | Barrington Theatre
9/10 – SWANSEA | The Scene Club
9/11 – MERTHYR TYDFIL | New Crown
9/24 – SOUTHAMPTON | Talking Heads
10/01 – OXFORD | The Cellar
11/04 – POOLE | Mr Kyps
11/05 – ANDOVER | The Lights
12/10 – BASINGSTOKE | Stage Live
3/10 – HRH AOR