The Violets - Wild Place (1996)

Formed by guitarist Joe Daniel in summer 2003 shortly after he had set up the Angular Recording Corporation label, the line-up of this UK indie rock band was completed by Alexis McCleod aka Alexis Mary (vocals) and Andrew Moran (drums). Initial press interest focused on McCleod’s magnetic and sexually threatening stage presence, with the influence of post-punk figurehead Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie And The Banchees an obvious reference point. The trio made their debut with the track ‘Laxteen’, which was featured on November’s Angular compilation The New Cross: An Angular Sampler. The 7-inch single ‘Mirror Mirror’, which followed in May 2005, reprised the angular punk disco sound of ‘Laxteen’ and attracted widespread interest in the UK independent press. A string of further single and compilation releases culminated in 2007’s thrilling ‘Foreo’, which featured a vocal eerily reminiscent of Hazel O’Connor amid the jerky new wave rhythms and needle sharp riffs. The Lost Pages, released later on in the year, struggled to match the melodic thrust of the single and was indistinguishable from contemporary releases by a glut of other post-punk bands.