The Black Lamps are an alternative post-rock and ambient guitar band from Barnsley, South Yorkshire with a deep history. Members Greg Firth (bass), Dean Ormston (drums), Lyndon Scarfe (guitars and keyboards) and Liam Stewart (vocals and guitars) have played their part in many a celebrated band throughout the previous three decades including Creatures of Habit, The Danse Society, Party Day, The Second Coming, Silent Scream and This Colossal Youth. January the 12th 2015 will see the band release their self-titled debut album through independent label Of National Importance Records.
The Black Lamps released the single 'Scissors, Paper, Stone' on a split 7” with the now defunct Imoko Set through Stereomatic Records in 2011. Self described “perfectionists”, the four piece spent the following years recording the ten tracks that make the album with Steve Ellis (Hey Sholay, Cavorts, Steel Trees) of Orion Studios in Rotherham before mixing the records themselves. Tom Woodhead (Hookworms, Post War Glamour Girls) mastered the final product at Hippocratic in Leeds. Additional backing vocals are provided by Amber Scarfe and Anna Firth, the daughter and neice of the respective band members. The track Awkward features a guitar riff written over 20 years ago.
The artwork for the album was created by Jamie Briggs from a painting by drummer Dean Ormston - also a comic book artist noted for his work with with many publishers including DC Vertigo, Judge Dredd Megazine, 2000AD and Dark Horse. Elsewhere outside of the band, Liam Stewart and Lyndon Scarfe's prolific solo work has racked up a combined total of over 100,000 downloads through Maine based netlabel BlocSonic. The Black Lamps became Bandcamp's 4th best selling vinyl record in the world on the day it was made available for pre-order.
The Black Lamps is available to pre-order now from ofnationalimportancerecords.co.uk on CD, digital and 12” red vinyl formats. Track four, The Smoking Party, can be downloaded for free from theblacklamps.co.uk
Of National Importance Records is Barnsley's longest named record label. Formed in 2009 it has released music by Alvarez Kings, McCarthy Vigil, The Exhibition and Aztec Doll.