existed in Ewan MacFarlane’s head long before they existed in our lacklustre computerised post-modern world. He saw this band as an ideal, an archetype, an essential solution. It could be the perfect machine for expressing his hopes and fears as he moved away from London, and from one or two failed attempts at the rock’n’roll success story, back home to Scotland.
The band’s first album, with its tales of inner-city tension to pledges of eternal love, was ultimately one of hope, made big and bold by Ewan MacFarlane’s personally-charged classic style of rock songwriting, which doesn’t shy away from the revered territories of Bowie, Jagger, and Townshend. The album was listed as one of the albums of the year in Rolling Stone, while closer to home, the band gained loyal support from several radio stations and made many friends in the press.
The band appeared as special guests of artists including Elvis Costello and Simple Minds. Other live highlights included several T In the Park appearances and two mind-blowing sets at the South-By-Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. This busy live schedule earned the GNS a faithful, if rather obsessive fanbase.
The GNS are back with their second effort entitled Watch Out For The Spies. On the new record, the majestic and uplifting GNS sound is wound tighter, biting hard with a fistful of instant classics. This time around, emphasis was placed on the in-yer-face live aspect of the Grim Northern Social. Although tinged with a newly bred cynicism, from the Jagger swagger and stomp of "Connected" to the almost spiritual power of "Save Your Skin", the album is truly a celebration of love and rock’n’roll. And after all, what else really matters?
The band’s extraordinary live power has always been indisputable. Music Week has proclaimed the band "a fine live act and decidedly the best the country has to offer". Ross Baxter, the slinky brooding lead guitarist, is the perfect onstage balance to Ewan MacFarlane, the magnetic, strutting showman. Paul Crawford’s powerful and exciting drumming style drives the band’s energy to exhilarating heights, while the whole sound is coiled together with Pete Cowan’s driving basslines.
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