SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: THE ROOM – “NEMESIS”

THE ROOM – “NEMESIS”

A SPILL EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE

A few years ago, we were pleased to hear about the return of Liverpool post-punk pioneers The Room, who were popular in the 1980s and even recorded four John Peel sessions. Formed in 1979, they also appeared on The Whistle Test and also worked with Television’s Tom Verlaine and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Billy Bragg).

The band also performed with The Fall, The Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Southern Death Cult, Violent Femmes, Tom Verlaine, John Foxx and The Red Guitars. Following the band’s split, Becky and Dave went on to form Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys. Dave has also recorded under his own name and as The Room in the Wood (with Paul Cavanagh).

But now they have a new album out, resuscitating the golden years of northern English post-punk, and we are here to premiere the video for “Nemesis”, produced by Mark Jordan. This song appears in the midpoint of The Telling story, which is not merely a collection of disparate tracks, but a cohesive narrative – an “aural folk-horror feature film,” as described by the band.  Like a crackling fire in a medieval tavern, the album draws you in with its opening notes and refuses to release you until the final, haunting chord fades away.

“Situated in a 17th Century European forest, a traveller arrives at a remote village offering to tell a story of “dark love and what came after” in return for a bed for the night. After some resistance from the butcher and the baker, he begins a tale about a young man from a similar village who falls for a strange woman in the forest, but discovers she can shape-shift into a raven or a wolf,” says Dave Jackson.

“Rusalka the shape-shifter, assumed dead after the Priest, the jilted bride’s brothers and fellow villagers burnt her lake hut and hanged her lover, returns for vengeance on her tormenters, now fixed in her aquatic human shape. This song takes place at the end of side one of the vinyl album and begins a sequence where Rusalka and her future lover begin to Hammer the Witchfinders, who plague Northern Europe at this time.”

The Room are a band on the move, evolving from their post-punk roots into something richer and more nuanced.  While echoes of those early days still resonate, this latest album is a revelation, a bold step forward that cements their place as vital voices in the indie rock landscape. The Telling is an immersive experience – a sonic tapestry woven with threads of post-punk energy and the dark allure of European folklore.

Formed by singer Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer, they are joined by original drummer Clive Thomas, along with guitarist Darren Brown, keyboardist Ethan Kyme, and the haunting backing vocals of Helena Jacks. On “Nemesis”, bassist Becky Stringer appears on clarinet for the first time, along with her son Ethan on piano.

The Telling was inspired by Jackson’s interest in folklore and myths, and a visit to a cuckoo clock museum in the Black Forest, where he learned about the traveling clock sellers and storytellers, who used to move between villages. Conveyed through his spirited yet acerbic vocals, the album was conceived as an aural movie for an as-yet unfinished screenplay, unfolding as individual self-contained songs like chapters in a complete narrative, there are no lyrical choruses or repeated themes.

Recorded and mixed at Ark Studios in Liverpool and released via 9×9 Records, this album was co-produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band, Autour De Lucie, Echo & The Bunnymen).

“Nemesis” is out digitally on February 19. The Telling is out now, available on CD (jewel case with 12-page booklet) or on black vinyl (with a 4-page lyric Insert). The lyric sheet was influenced by the layout of the Guttenberg Bible. It is also available on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and elsewhere.

Credits

All songs written by The Room
Dave Jackson – vocals
Becky Stringer – bass & clarinet
Darren Brown – guitars
Ethan Kyme – keyboards
Clive Thomas – drums
Helena Jacks – backing vocals
Cover design by Ian Clark
AI album images by Dave Jackson
Produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell
Recorded and mixed by Steve Powell at Ark Studios Liverpool
Mastered by Chris Daniels
Videos by Mark Jordan
Band photos by Richard Duffy-Howard
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

And for their latest video and ‘The Telling’ album:

The Room
[Single] (9×9 Records)
Release Date: February 19, 2025

Artist Links

Photo Credits: Richard Duffy-Howard