LoneLady/ Nerve Up

LoneLady
Nerve Up
(Warp)

If the Manchester Hacienda had soldiered on for a few more years, then I predict its late-noughties revival would have been stupendous. It’s been well documented how influential certain Factory Records bands became beyond their own timelines so I won’t bore you with the actually-not-that-impressive details.
However at the other end of the label’s excesses were a few bands not sniffing petrol or topping themselves, but producing more groove based material. A Certain Ratio spring to mind as one of them and also New Yorker’s ESG. Like Phil Spector, Martin Hannett’s production brought a ghostly presence to their music.
A similar eerie groove was my first impression of Julie Campbell AKA LoneLady on hearing her track ‘If Not Now’. Her voice is contemporary and dare I say it sassy, but the minimalist nature of her overall sound and its execution is rather unique.
Debut release ‘Nerve Up’ is built on a backbone of machine-like drums with gloomy synthesisers fighting for airtime with Andy Gill styled stabby guitars. Lonelady’s voice is far from monotone though and ranges from soulful on the title track to similar in angst to early-Madonna on ‘Intuition’.
Finale ‘Fear No More’ is perhaps the most powerful track; it’s a slow, desolate folk song with solemn strings designed to make the soul truly weep. As debut albums go, Nerve Up is very impressive with no notable flaws.