Leeds psyche trio THE CALLS have spent much of this year preparing and refining their debut album, which will see the light of day in 2024, but have also found time to record a simply stunning version of The Verve classic VELVET MORNING, which has now been released.
Their version displays an appropriate reverence to the original – how could it not when tackling such a monolithic song – but it stands indisputably as The Calls. The verses are beautifully understated; the choruses rise and soar and rise again; and the guitars elevate the song to an altogether higher plain.
Talking about the single, singer Tom Fuller says: “The Verve are a big influence on us, especially on last year’s Setting Sun EP, and while we were making that record we thought we’d like to try recording a cover as we’d never done that before. We were conscious of wanting to live up to the original while putting our own stamp on it. I think Velvet Morning is a great song, but I felt that the original recording never really did the songwriting justice. I saw a live version online where they played it at a festival, and it completely blew me away. We wanted to capture the essence of that live version – that mixture of melancholy and euphoria – and do a version that, in our minds, would not have been out of place on Urban Hymns.”
The single launch for Velvet Morning will take place at LEEDS PACKHORSE on FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER with support from The Strays and Paddy Kerins. Tickets on the door.
Hailing from the thriving musical bedrock of Leeds, THE CALLS remain a proudly defiant DIY band who write, rehearse and record their music in a converted barn. The trio are driven by the unconventional songwriting of Tom Fuller, who puts an introspective slant on social observations through cryptic wordplay and metaphor, with lyrics often dystopian in their outlook, often reflective and always deeply personal.
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