Dave Sweetmore - 25th July

One of Manchester's best loved, and perhaps most underrated, underground Punk Rock bands have finally released a greatest hits album, 46 years after forming. The limited edition "Singles Plus" CD by Eddie Mooney and the Grave features all the singles from 1979 to 2024, 16 tracks in total, which have been recently remastered.

The band were formed in 1978, with Eddie Mooney on bass and lead vocals, Mike Rowbottom on guitar and vocals and Chris Fisher on drums, and appeared at punk and new wave venues, such as the Russel Club (later the Factory) in Manchester, and Manchester University and Polytechnic. The band signed to established Manchester indie label TJM Records, who had released singles by Slaughter and the Dogs, V2 and Mick Hucknall's Frantic Elevators among others.

In late 1978 the band went to Smile Studios in Manchester and recorded “I Bought Three Eggs” and “Zombie”, both tracks appeared on the now legendary “Identity Parade” compilation album in early 1979. Almost straight away “I Bought Three Eggs” was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, getting extensive airplay. At this stage they played gigs at the Factory and other venues, along with bands such as the Cure, Damned and Joy Division. Due to public demand, “I Bought Three Eggs” and “Zombie” were scheduled for release as a single, but the label went out of business and very few copies were pressed. It became an instant rarity. The band recorded a further three studio tracks in late 1979, but with American drummer Sebastian Kossak, as Chris Fisher was suffering with health problems.

Eddie Mooney and The Grave persevered up to 1980 before splitting up and Chris Fisher passed away some years later. In 1999 a reformed band performed at the Holidays In The Sun punk festival (now Rebellion) and in 2005 “I Bought Three Eggs” surfaced on the “White Dopes On Punk” CD compilation, along with tracks by the Buzzcocks and the Damned. Finally, in 2009 it was released again as a vinyl single, with “Zombie”, on the German based Still Unbeatable record label. After a hiatus of almost forty years, Eddie Mooney and The Grave reformed in 2019 with original guitarist Mike Rowbottom, Coventry drummer Rick Medlock and Munich-based guitarist and German record label owner Malte Buhr. The band released a series of digital and vinyl singles, "Dennis Votes" (2019 and 2021), "Down The Drain" (2020 and 2021), "Lockdown Baby" (2020), "Telephones" (2021), "(How Does It Feel to Be) Great!!!" (2021), "Vinyl Freak" (2021),"Bone Idol" (2022) and “Plastic Smile” (2022).

In the last 12 months the band have released singles 'Cruella Is Here' and 'No! No! No!', giving fans the hope that new music will continue being released for a long time to come. Several of these singles charted on various digital and streaming charts. Some of these releases were also available on 7” vinyl labels in Germany and Spain as well as the UK. Popular single “I Bought Three Eggs” was last year remixed, remastered and reissued on “Keeping Control – Independent Music From Manchester 1977-1981, a 3CD Box Set' on Cherry Red Records which was released in May 2023, along with songs from Joy Division, the Buzzcocks, New Order and many others.

Since 2022 Eddie Mooney and The Grave have also appeared live at selected dates, supporting the likes of  The Skids, The Vapors, Slaughter and the Dogs, Fast Cars, John Otway, and The Cathodes. Eddie Mooney and The Grave and their music can also be found on Facebook and all streaming platforms, which is where live dates are also announced. The new limited edition 'Singles Plus' CD can also only be bought by messaging the band's Facebook page and will be a collector's item for many years to come, I'd highly recommend getting a copy. As one of the most experienced bands who have featured on Tameside Radio's popular Local Music Spotlight feature, I am also pleased to announce that Eddie Mooney and The Grave will be appearing live at our next Local Music Spotlight Live night at Whittles Live Music Venue in Oldham on Friday September 27th, more details will be announced in the forthcoming weeks. It's so good to see Eddie Mooney and The Grave back being great.