Photo by Andy Harding
UK indie rock veterans Vernons Future will be releasing their new album ‘Aquaplaning’ in early October, using the lead-time wisely by previewing lead track ‘Call To Arms’. Perhaps their most overtly (small ‘p’) political song, it’s also a plea to save the planet.
“It’s a challenge to all of us to open our eyes to the climate emergency, to join together to drive meaningful change to save the planet,” says frontman Simon Burchill.
Formed in Liverpool in the 1980s and originally known as The Vernons, the band toured the UK and also released the album ‘Smithdown Road’ in 1990 via the Probe Plus label, touted by Melody Maker as “a fine debut…in love with pop at its most unassuming and most charming”.
In 2015, the band reincarnated as Vernons Future with original members Simon Burchill, Andy Harding, Jon Fiber and Tom Le Bas, joined by Simon’s school friend Simon ‘Hoops’ Hooper.
Effectively their second album, ‘Aquaplaning’ is essentially a compilation of the band’s singles from late 2019 onward, plus two new songs. Now split between Oxford and London, the band’s music puts a distinctive twist on the poppier end of the indie spectrum.
As part of their ongoing quest to write the perfect 3-minute indie pop song, Vernons Future uses their classic vox/ guitar/ keys/ bass/ drums setup to hone accessible earworm indie tunes with a particular sense of humour and good hooks.
“When we started playing together again in 2015, we weren’t sure if we would get to play gigs or release any music, so the last seven years have been a majorly fun surprise! We absolutely love playing live, and are lucky enough to be playing more gigs now. It’s quite amazing to be able to release our songs too. When we first played together back in the 80’s, streaming (and the internet!) wasn’t a thing. Our first album came out on vinyl and cassette, but was too early for CDs. So we’re buzzing to release our new album on CD,” says Andy Harding.
As of September 14, ‘Call To Arms’ is available via Bandcamp, where the full ‘Aquaplaning’ LP can already be pre-ordered on CD or as a digital download. The full ‘Aquaplaning’ album will be released on October 7. The band will also be playing a handful of concerts in September and October to celebrate the album’s release.
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