“The Young Marble Giants are a Cardiff post-punk band. A trio formed in 1978, their music was constructed around the powerful and minimal instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham supporting the naive untrained vocals of Alison Statton.
Stuart Moxham wrote the majority of the band's songs, and his writing was often deceptively simple-seeming, giving the YMG's classic work a uniquely fragile yet powerful quality. Centered around a weird mix of Philip's steel-hawser bass, Stuart's punchy rhythm guitar (played on a rare John Lennon style blonde Rickenbacker) and haunting, rhythmic Galanti electric organ lines, with Statton's vocals tentatively suspended in the space between them, their sound was unlike anything anyone had heard before.
While signed to UK independent record label, Rough Trade Records the YMGs released two EPs, Final Day and Testcard, and one acclaimed and very influential album, Colossal Youth (a reference to the Early Greek 'Kouroi' marble statues, from which the YMGs took the inspiration for their name.)
The band toured and played in the US and Europe, and played in San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, Berlin. Touring companions included the band Cabaret Voltaire.
Musical influences included Eno, Kraftwerk, Neil Young, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Can and others.
Courtney Love's band Hole covered the Young Marble Giants track "Credit In The Straight World". “This music relaxes you, it’s total atmospherics. It’s just nice, pleasant music. I love it. The drum machine has to have the cheesiest sound ever. We’re going to be on a Young Marble Giants compilation, doing ‘Credit In The Straight World’. I had a crush on the singer for a while—didn’t everyone?” -Courtney Love
Kurt Cobain, said in a 1992 Melody Maker interview, that Colossal Youth was one of the five most influential records he had ever heard: "I didn’t know much about them — the Moxham brothers, right? I heard they might be getting back together again recently. Isn’t it weird how, when you hear something like that, you still get excited, even though you know you shouldn’t? I first heard Colossal Youth on the radio, after I started getting into K music when I lived in Olympia. It was a year before I put out the ‘Bleach’ album."
*Peter Buck of R.E.M. is another self-confessed fan of the YMGs.
In early 2003, Statton and the Moxham brothers reunited for a BBC Radio Wales radio special. The band is currently preparing to make further new recordings, but no date has yet been announced for the release of this new material.
There was a 'reunion concert' in Hay-on-Wye on 27 May 2007, part of the Hay-on-Wye Festival, 2007. From Stuart Moxham's website: "Young Marble Giants reform for a one-off celebration of Domino Records' re-release of their seminal album 'Colossal Youth', combined in a 3 CD package with the Lo-Fi, private reference recordings of the 'Salad Days' album and the otherwise unobtainable Peel Sessions. A unique opportunity to see these much-missed masters of dark, minimalist DIY art rock in the glorious surroundings of the land of their fathers."
They also played a show to great acclaim for the BB-Mix Festival in Boulogne Billancourt, just outside Paris, on the 28th October 2007, adding third Moxham brother Andrew on electronic drums.
Spring/Summer 2008 saw them on a 3 show tour in Spain and Portugal culimnating with an awesome show at Primavera Sounds Festival in Barcelona. With two upcoming festival appearances in November, the Young Marble Giants are gearing up for what will undoubtedly be an exciting 2009. STAY TUNED!!
There will be a 30 minute YMG special on the Freakzone, 6Music, on August 30th between 6 - 6.30pm. This will feature about 5 songs, and interviews done with the band at ATP.
new video clip "soon" cover of My Bloody Valentine by Pas de printemps pour Marnie.<br><br><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DYEHTMFue1w&hl=fr&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DYEHTMFue1w&hl=fr&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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