The Castle will host Seán Grant and the Wolfgang this Saturday for a special album launch show after the release of the new record, ‘333’.
Released on Friday, on Luton label Vandalism Begins at Home Records, the LP, which has been described as ‘a darkgaze opus that transcends a life-affirming treasure trove of inner power and universal truth’, follows on from singles, ‘Montreal (Watch Me Bending)’ and ‘Crucify My Hurt’.
The video for the latter single, released last month, is a collection of live footage shot by their FanGang on the packed out Leave The Capital UK tour earlier this year, where Seán Grant and the Wolfgang previously rocked The Castle as part of a sold-out show.
This time around, hopes are high for another memorable night, with the band already having sold-out an intimate mini album launch tour opener the night before (Friday July 15th) at The Cannon in their hometown of Newport Pagnell, in Milton Keynes and they’re set to play Manchester (July 22) and London for the Camden Rocks all-dayer (July 30).
But Luton holds a special place for the band after they ended a two-year live hiatus to return to the stage in September for a triumphant set at Castlefest, the town’s five-day music festival.
Frontman Seán Grant said: “We can’t wait to get back on the road again after the glorious chaos and carnage of the Leave The Capital tour in February and March.
“We had the time of our lives and the Luton leg was particularly special in front of a full crowd at The Castle and some of that fun was captured in the video to our last single, ‘Crucify My Hurt’.
“The venue is where we made our live comeback last year and really acted as the springboard into everything that’s come since, not least the new album, ‘333’.
“It was only released on Friday, but I’m honestly so full up and grateful with the love and support it’s been getting. It’s a labour of love, self-produced and an open book of my thoughts and interests that I generally search out and consume.
“We played some songs from the last time at The Castle, but hopefully now people will have heard it in full, the gig will be even more special.”
Drenched in distortion and dramatic synth gothic glory, ‘333’ is the spaced-out singularity where industrial meets ethereal as laser-guided lyrics burst forth with vivid and hypnotic intent.
This soundscape explodes into existence with the pulsating and cinematic first single ‘Montreal (Watch Me Bending)’ and climaxes in the soaring cosmic gospel of ‘The Flood’. In between, what emerges is a kaleidoscope of existential yearning, all traversed with Seán Grant’s soul-searching, infectious sense of awe and wonder.
On ‘333Thinkers Anonymous’, Grant opines, “To change the world, we must start with our perception” and, similarly, on the operatically epic “Something in the Water’ comes the mantra, ‘begin again, within again”.
These glimpses act as a meditation on the personal rebirth of the band’s enigmatic leader, but there emanates a golden thread of esoteric themes that tie these tunes together, rooted in forgotten knowledge, disparate philosophies and the dogmatic deconstruction of science and religion.
Guided by its spiritually significant title, ‘333’ is a record that diarises and manifests Grant’s path away from despair towards an illuminated, conscious, and positive incarnation, which is an astral tug-of-war that the dream pop of ‘Change the Habit’ wrestles with.
Grant says: “333 is a number that represents learning what it is to be human and being open to all possibilities. In a sense it’s the trinity of mind, body, and spirit. I’ve had a transformational experience away from the suicides of two friends, my own drink and drug misuse to relearning life and channelling a more positive energy.”
And to contrast any dark matter, ‘333’ shines a light on the quest for the collective unconscious. Grant casts an enquiring eye over ancient wisdom in’ Crucify My Hurt’; marvels at mysticism, divinity and higher states of consciousness in ‘Third Eye Twitching’ and, in the euphoric ‘Morphic Resonance 369’, provides a take on the telepathic teachings of renegade biologist Rupert Sheldrake, with a nod to the genius mind of scientist Nikola Tesla.
Nothing is ruled in and nothing ruled out because, as on ‘Lover’s Charm’, ’333’ is open book on life’s complexities, in which Grant beckons with warmth, “I’ve got the remedies.”
See for yourself this Saturday at The Castle in Luton. Tickets are £6 in advance at: https://vbah.co.uk/sean-grant-luton.
Support comes from Carbon Daydreams, making their Luton debut, and TMCF, who were asked back after a storming set on the Vandalism Begins at Home and Luton Live/s live showcase back in May, which featured SINKA and KILL, THE ICON!
