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Bromide
‘Some Electric Sometime’ Released Monday 25th
June on Scratchy Records In October 1987
Simon Berridge aka ‘Bromide’ lost £1.3 million on
behalf of Barclays Bank. The Stock Exchange had crashed and it was time for a
change of career so Simon decided to follow a teenage desire to seek fame and
fortune as a musician. 10 years and
various questionable band names later (‘Making Life’ anyone
?), fame and a lucrative record deal had failed to arrive. However
things looked like they might be about to change.. Simon had found a new name via a computer
word scrambling program (simon berridge
= singer bromide) and also met rock journalist and writer Nick Johnstone who introduced him to the music of The
Replacements, American Music Club, Husker Du and Patti Smith and ultimately
inspired him to make a record and put it out himself. Bromide’s 1997
debut album ‘Iscariot Heart’ featured any musicians Simon could drag into the
studio including Waterboys sax blower Anthony Thistlethwaite and was released on his own Scratchy
Records label to encouraging reviews: “A bedroom mini classic that harks back to Kevin
Ayers, discovers Sonic Youth and has chronic lovesickness to spare’ Evening Standard “Mainman Berridge has an ear for a canny tune and a keen lyrical
eye for detail. Front that with his Ray-Davies-meets-Lloyd-Cole crooning and
you’re onto a winner” The Big Issue Meanwhile Bromide
had turned into a band with the addition of drummer Ed Lush and bassist John
Morrison. A single ‘Fool in my brain’ followed: “More hooks than the DIY dept at Homebase”
Melody Maker “Romping, indie-pop blast with lyrics that recalls
the heyday of The Only Ones: ‘If you were dead I could let go / Not while
you’re still breathing though’ ” The
Times Things were
looking up and then.. disaster.
Hefner got a record deal. Hefner’s bass player at the time was the same John
Morrison who was also in Bromide and sure enough Simon & Ed were soon
looking for a replacement. Unfortunately they didn’t find one and in mid-1998
the band folded after one more ep. A home recorded
follow-up album, ‘No.Space.Anymore.Even.Inbetween.Words’
appeared in 2001 but shortly after Simon turned his attentions to running the
label instead. Releases for The Rocks, Spork, Full
English Breakfast, Matthew Neel and Jonny Cola & the A-Grades followed
including in 2008 another album of home recordings ‘The trouble with.. Bromide’ hinting that it might not be all over quite
yet: “Ultra-catchy, jangly acoustic pop that reminds you
of Lloyd Cole, Teenage Fanclub or American Music
Club” Soundsxp.com “Berridge has an air of a
man at ease with his emotions, able to take the hits and still come Then in 2010 in a
kind of ‘geography collision’ Simon, living in Bermondsey
met ‘Nigel of Bermondsey’ formerly bass-player in
Gay Dad and arranged to record a new album at Nigel’s studio off the Walworth
Road. ‘Some Electric Sometime’ is the result. Featuring an homage to the late
troubadour Nikki Sudden and another song ‘Triggers’ inspired by indie soul
queen Beth Ditto, the album sees Nigel providing the missing link on bass, Ed
back on drums and helping hands from rising London chanteuse Katy Carr and
fellow scratchy recorder Alvine Spetz
(aka Full English Breakfast). It’s Bromide’s
first studio album for 15 years and the one he’s been trying to make all his
life - well, since the last economic downturn before this one anyway.. Live dates: Tues
24th April - Dublin Castle; Mon 14th May - 12 Bar Club;
Weds 6th June - The Horse,
Waterloo; Weds 27th June - Dublin Castle / album launch http://www.theinternetatemysoul.co.uk/bromide.htm
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