Hints of (soft edged) punk, pacey rocking rhythms and skull crushing lyrics pour out as you quickly realise that this isn't music for the fainthearted or those unprepared for a challenge. On first hearing The Black Tulips are pretty tough to comprehend - then slowly it starts to fall into place, make sense and come together. 'Just Keep Coming', 'I Don't Want You' and 'Sad Sally' all, uncompromisingly, feature here. Each just far away from the other to be individually challenging yet subtly addictive. The nearest comparison I could attempt to make is with a weirdly substance enhanced Placebo featuring a substantially affected Brian Molko.
In their own words The Black Tulips are "Alexandra - The Frontwoman, Vocalist and Songwriter (eloquent and vulgar, wild and shy; often to be found taking tea), Tris - The Changeling, Lead Guitarist and Songwriter (uncompromising in sound and fury, enigmatic orchestrator with myriad aliases), Heidi Heelz - The Glamorous Lefthander, Bassist (quite the lady about town, 50& of The Utopians, sometime cigarette girl, all-time Brighton DJ royalty), Barny - The Tall Stranger, Guitarist (Beloved by sensitive ladies across the land, and indeed in the wider Empire) and Ulysses - The Mysterious Drummer. Well, that just about sums them up really!!
Back to the tracks here - in just under ten short minutes The Black tulips take the listener on a mighty strange but intriguing voyage through their alarmingly crazy, creative world. Along the way The Black Tulips way becomes apparent as it drills it's way into the psyche and penetrates soft tissue just waiting to be, if not destroyed, then carefully and lovingly re-arranged!! A really interesting and original sounding outfit that I'd really like to hear more of!!
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