Playhouse turn up the volume on your Throwback Thursday with the surging noise-pop majesty of their new singles and rarities compilation Dynamo — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
For those who need a refresher: Back in the 1990s, Playhouse were one of Liverpool’s premiere power trios, with a mighty, melodic and magnificent sound that resoundingly slammed the sweet spot between post-grunge, noise-rock, dream-pop, post-punk and shoegaze. They deleloped a devoted following around the country by supporting the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Unwound, Penthouse, Pavement, Sebadoh, Feeder and Gary Numan. With three 7″ singles under their belt and support from the NME and John Peel, the band were due to record their debut album until disaster struck — drummer Simon broke his leg in a bizarre incident, derailing their momentum.
Out now digitally, the 11-track Dynamo compiles their trio of singles alongside top-shelf outtakes, including a cover of Sebadoh’s It’s So Hard To Fall in Love. With propulsive drums, grinding basses and fuzzbusted guitars underpinning their sun-dappled melodies and high-angled vocals, it’s not hard to fall in love with Playhouse. And to wonder what might have been had they stayed together.
These days, singer-guitarist Pete continues to write, over 1,000 songs in his quiver at this point. He is one of Liverpool’s most prolific and enigmatic figures, writing some of the most beautiful songs around. Drummer Simon went on to the rock band Black Spiders, and now plays under the name of Blobb Ross. Bassist Jason went on to perform with Mugstar, Sex Swing, Klamp, Domes, Twin Sister and JAAW — and runs God Unknown Records, the label bringing this long-forgotten slice of Brit-rock brilliance back into the spotlight it so richly deserves.
Don’t take my word for it: Crank up Playhouse’s Dynamo below, watch the video for Doyle above, and get more information at the God Unknown website.
