A new video for the FINI TRIBE track “Me and My Shadow” has been released.
“‘Me and My Shadow’ was taken from our second studio session in spring of 1982. We were all still in secondary school in Edinburgh. In fact, the lyrics were written during a library period in lieu of French studies or some tedious Thomas Hardy novel. This would be the first session with Davie Miller, who had previously been in the formidable band Explode Your Heart,” says Chris Connelly.
“The song addresses identity. Written by a 16-year-old, the lyrics float above a meticulous almost-spy-thriller guitar melody, which anchors the song to a fast-paced mechanical rhythm. At the time, we were swimming around in Can and French Noir, like every schoolboy should.”
“For me, ‘Me and My Shadow’ may be the definitive 80s Fini Tribe recording: Chris words, John’s trippy keyboards, and the prescient motorik metal rhythm (played on a chrome clothes rail, as I recall),” says Andy McGregor.
“I’d say it’s also probably the best recorded example of me ‘at one’ with my RAPIER 44, a red sharkfin plectrum, and a matching kitchen stool. I used to sit down to play most of the time, and I can see why. I don’t know if it was a mistake, but there’s something in the way that the recording starts with the reel to reel getting ‘to speed’ — that is the perfect start to a song that feels like the audio equivalent to a fever-dream motorway timelapse.”
Thanks to SKYLIGHT MAGAZINE for premiering the video.
The compilation, THE SHEER ACTION OF FINI TRIBE: 1982-1987 was a long time in the making: a labour of love for the band, showcasing our most productive years as a six piece. The compilation of tracks – from professional BBC recordings to live performance and rehearsal room demos – gives as broad a spectrum of the breadth of the band’s creativity during those five important years from 1982 to 1987. The compilation is available digitally on all streaming platforms, and as a 3-CD set with 24-page booklet or a single vinyl album with gatefold sleeve and insert from Shipwrecked Industries (distributed by Virtual Label).