The Secret Show - "Impressionist Road Map Of The West" release 05.04.2007

The Secret Show - "Impressionist Road Map Of The West"
VÖ: 05.04.2007
Label/Vertrieb: Inkubator/Soulfood
Presse/Online Promotion

Sometimes a homecoming is all the inspiration you need. In late December 2005, shattered by six months of solid touring with Funeral For A Friend, vocalist Matt Davies returned to his hometown in South Wales. Surrounded by family and childhood friends, his soul soothed by the sudden quiet of small-town life, he picked up an acoustic guitar and began to write. I started messing around with these country songs, explains the 26-year old. Just me and the guitar. They didnt fit Funeral For A Friend at all - and yet singing them felt so natural. By the summer I had an albums worth of material.
Matt Davies goes solo, then? Not quite. Energised by his newfound creativity, Davies formed The Secret Show whose debut album, Impressionist Road Map Of The West, is released April 5 2007 in Germany..

Its a remarkable departure. Forsaking the post-hardcore intensity of Funeral For A Friend in favour of camp-fire choruses, rootsy mandolins and dustbowl vocals, The Secret Show are a mature alt-country outfit in the mould of Wilco and Ryan Adams. Funeral fans will be taken aback but Davies claims this is merely the reawakening of a childhood obsession. I grew up on country music, he says. My dad would always play Gram Parsons and The Eagles around the house. I remember hearing Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and being totally floored by the harmonies, the way the lyrics told a story. It was a big part of my youth. But then I got into heavier stuff and forgot about country for the longest time.
As a teenager Davies immersed himself in the straight-edge hardcore scene, embracing uncompromising acts such as Minor Threat and Fugazi. It set him on a path that led to Funeral For A Friend in 2001. The next five years were a period of dizzying ascent, including two 100,000-selling albums and Kerrang! awards for Best British Newcomer (2004) and Best British Band (2005).
Whilst on tour Davies would often retreat to the tourbus, seeking solace in the music that surrounded him as a child: the hushed melancholy of Bruce Springsteens Nebraska; the ecstatic harmonies of The Byrds; the somber, flinty gravitas of Johnny Cash. You reach a point in your life where you need to look for fresh inspiration, he says. I found I was becoming a lot more open-minded, and those artists were speaking to me, inspiring me in a way hardcore no longer did.
Deciding he needed a full band to help craft the sounds in his head (I couldnt go solo, Mattie Davies isnt a cool enough name!), he approached old friends Mark Foley and Andrew Plain, owners of the Cardiff studio where Funeral For A Friend used to rehearse. They took on roles as bassist and drummer respectively, as well as providing recording expertise.
Foley then introduced Davies to multi-instrumentalist Rhod Viney, a celebrated figure on the local scene thanks to his famed ability to play anything with strings (I heard he could play pedal steel and I thought that was the coolest thing ever, enthuses Davies). With the addition of organist Cate Timothy, the final piece of the jigsaw was singer Lianne Francis, an English teacher by day, whose stunning vocals provide one of Impressionist Road Map Of The Wests real revelations.
The album came together slowly, sessions taking place between Christmas 2005 and August 2006, whenever Funerals tough touring and recording schedule would allow. Over the summer Davies relocated to rural Ogmore Vale, where the mountains and wide-open spaces chimed perfectly with The Secret Shows relaxed, pastoral vibe. There was no hurry, explains Davies. I wanted this to be a laid-back thing. To begin with it was just for my own amusement, I wasnt sure I was even going to release it.
Gradually though, the project took on a momentum that took even its creator by surprise. Taking the bands name from a novel, The Great And Secret Show, by fantasy author Clive Barker (It just had a cool ring to it), Davies found himself penning the kind of story-telling lyrics that hed always admired, but never been able to conjure himself.
One such song was Two Drowned Rats In The Desert, a mournful duet in which Davies and Francis voices dovetail to heartrending effect. Its almost like a progressive country song, explains the singer, who lists Genesis as another of his key influences. Its set in the wild west, during the gold rush. Its about a guy who goes to a brothel, his experience of how the women there are treated. But its also written from the womens perspective, which is why I wanted Lianne to sing the second verse. It has this cinematic feel that Im really proud of.
Another key moment on the album is Everyones A Critic, a propulsive down-home shuffle which Davies says was inspired by the swampy southern rock of 60s giants Creedence Clearwater Revival. Its about being in transit, being on tour, and the way peoples perceptions of you can be so far from the reality.
As with many of the songs, inspiration came from traveling the world with Funeral, experiencing both the adrenal thrill and crushing ennui of life on the road (Ive been to places I thought Id never see but touring can be tiresome after a while, kind of wearying to your soul). However, Davies wants to reassure Funeral fans that The Secret Show does not mean hes about to quit his day job.
Not at all. Weve started work on the new album and its sounding great! I was a bit worried at first about what the guys would think about me doing a solo album, but theyve been really supportive.
The result of his labours is a brave, emotive set of songs, shot through with a sense of warm classicism. Recorded with close friends, the album exudes a palpable feeling of community and comradeship - while the stripped-down arrangements showcase Davies keening tenor as never before.
I did it for myself really, says the singer in conclusion. Purely to get my musical rocks off. I hope it gets a reaction, but if people dont like it I dont care! As long as everyone has fun, dances and sings at the top of their voices, that's all any man can really hope for: fun with his mates while making sweet, sweet music.