The March Violets

Original Post Punk drum machine band from Leeds.
Started at the beginning, imploded, reborn for the 21st Century.
Play Loud, Play Purple.

Once Upon A Time In Leeds, 1981. The March Violets strummed their first riff and scrawled their first set list. An impressive post-punk legacy ensued, including BBC sessions for John Peel and other DJs, along with huge indie chart success in the mid-’80s with singles such as ‘Crow Baby’, ‘Snake Dance’, ‘Walk Into The Sun’ and ‘Deep’. The band were subsequently snapped up by London Records for the 1987 release of ’Turn To The Sky’ – which featured in the John Hughes movie Some Kind of Wonderful – before splitting up later that same year.

They eventually reunited in 2010 around a nucleus that included founder members Rosie Garland (vocals) and Tom Ashton (guitar), releasing albums in 2013 and 2015 and promoting them with European and US tours.

A double album collection of the BBC sessions entitled ‘Big Soul Kiss’ was made available by Jungle Records for the 2021 edition of Record Store Day, with the same label issuing the singles compilation ‘Play Loud Play Purple’ and five-CD box set ‘The Palace Of Infinite Darkness’ shortly after. These coincided with a well received European tour that included headlining sets at Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT) in Germany and Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival (Whitby Goth Weekend) in the UK.

“Fantastic, post-punk shrapnel guitar from founder member Tom Ashton and the strikingly scary, esoteric beauty of Rosie Garland. The songs clatter and grind around the drum machine and their powerful fug fills the room”
John Robb | Louder Than War

2024 has seen The March Violets sign to Metropolis Records for a brand new album entitled ‘Crocodile Promises’. Out on 19th July, it will be promoted with a launch show in London at The Garage (20th), followed by Rebellion festival in Blackpool on 2nd August and other TBC dates. A single and video for the song ‘Hammer The Last Nail’ precedes the album in mid-June. Mat Thorpe (bass, vocals) joined the band in January 2024.

THE MARCH VIOLETS
Rosie Garland – vocals
Tom Ashton – guitar
Mat Thorpe – bass, vocals