One of Britain's best kept guitar pop secrets, The Sweeney consistently
turn
the heads of discerning music listeners everywhere.
Having gigged his way around North America, Britain and Ireland as a
solo
act, Murray Torkildsen spent summer 1995 working on new material and
itching
to shake things up. Rehearsals with a couple of friends went well, and
as
soon as they hit the studio it was obvious that the formula was working
far
better than anyone had hoped for. Murray's forthright lyrical
sophistication has always cut straight through the bullshit to tell how
it
is - a prime example being the Sweeney's debut single 'Shut Up!'
released in
November 1995.
As for their live performances, the swaggering three piece have earned
the
respect and praise normally reserved for the big timers: "An up front
and
impressive set of blistering, yet melodic, guitar pop - brilliant."
Their
second single "Why?" earned a regular spot on John Peel's deck,
reaching ..9
in the festive 50, as well as gaining glowing coverage in the NME
before the
full extent of Murray's writing gift was revealed on the Sweeney's
debut
album "Pop Gun". Recorded in a mere TEN DAYS, the album displayed the
Sweeney's natural urgency at it's best.
The group then returned to the studio to record their second album
"BINGO!". The singles "Fish Face" (banned from the charts for
containing a
fortune telling fish!) and "The Kazoo Song" plucked from the album, set
the
album up nicely as it quickly established itself as another slab of
classic
Sweeney swagger. The year 2000 saw the band release 'The Sweeney' ("I
have
always wanted to use the word eponymous" said Murray) - the album is
the
distillation of everything that makes the band great, and you won't
meet
anyone who has it who doesn't absolutely love it.
After extensive touring in the UK, Murray and Adam were coerced into
helping John Otway into the top ten and onto TOTP as part of his
astonishing
Big Band. To bridge this gap of Sweeney inactivity the band released
"Ideal". A mixture of familiar favourites from the first three albums
as
well as new tracks, a song from Murray's earlier solo record and
b-sides
like "Rock" featuring John Cooper Clarke. A fantastic introduction to
the
world of The Sweeney if ever there was one.
2005 saw the release of "5" by Murray Torkildsen & The Sweeney. A
mixture
of fantastic new band material and the first recorded solo tracks for
years.
Although a return to the eclectic nature of earlier records like "Pop
Gun",
"5" is absolutely bang up to date with where the band are at and where
they're heading. Murray Torkildsen & The Sweeney are the bee's
knees!
