The Servants - Entrance – The C86 Line-up Singles (2026)

Entrance is an archival compilation bringing together the singles recorded by the line-up of The Servants that defined their association with the NME's landmark C86 cassette. Founded in Hayes, Middlesex in 1985 by singer-songwriter David Westlake, the band released their debut single «She's Always Hiding» on Head Records in March 1986, before being approached to contribute to what would become one of the most discussed documents in British independent music history.
Characteristically contrarian, the band insisted their C86 contribution be the B-side of that debut single — «Transparent» — deliberately wrong-footing any listener expecting an introduction. The irony was that this gesture of haughtiness only deepened the group's cult status. The material gathered here spans both sides of the debut seven-inch and the acclaimed 1986 four-track EP The Sun, A Small Star, whose title track was later described as a 24-carat pop classic, alongside further recordings from the same period such as «Loggerheads», «Water Baby Blonde» and «Search Under Stones».
Where many C86 contemporaries embraced wilful primitiveness, The Servants occupied a distinct position: melodically refined, lyrically literary, and quietly sophisticated. This release serves as a focused portrait of the group at its most historically significant moment — before Luke Haines joined, before the label entanglements, and before the music world moved on. Cherry Red, the label that first compiled early Servants material on Reserved in 2006, returns here to present the singles output of the C86-era lineup in standalone form.

Tracklist:
1-1 The Servants - She’s Always Hiding (Single Version) [3:09]
1-2 The Servants - The Sun, A Small Star [2:48]
1-3 The Servants - Meredith [1:45]
1-4 The Servants - It Takes No Gentleman [3:46]
1-5 The Servants - Funny Business [2:28]
1-6 The Servants - Transparent [2:36]
1-7 The Servants - Loggerheads [3:09]
1-8 The Servants - Water Baby Blonde [3:17]
1-9 The Servants - Search Under Stones [2:30]