Virgin Prunes were a visually provocative goth rock/post-punk band from Ireland, and Fionán Martin Hanvey, aka Gavin Friday was a main vocalist, which is no mean feat as there were three lead singers at one point. Friday has gone on to be an actor, composer, and artist to name but a few of his endeavours, and now after thirteen years, he is on the edge of releasing a new, studio album, titled Ecce Homo. These are the words Pontius Pilot addressed the seething crowd, after Jesus had been flagellated and crowned with thorns, and it basically translate to ‘behold the man,’ and “Ecce Homo” is also the first single.
“Ecce Homo,” for me, is a track about watching the world crumbling into a morass of hatred, religious hypocrisy and general destruction of this planet, knowing it all has echoes in the past. Although this may sound like a depressing concept, it is also a song of hope, that there is time to make things better, for humanity has such a capacity for acts of beauty and kindness.
The vocals of Friday deliver the lyrics, which are like a punch to the guts and the electronics are catchy. The heavens could have broken open, with the voice of an angelic female and at the end, I swear, you can hear what could be a Islamic call to prayer. What can I say? Gavin Friday is back and if the single is anything to go by, the album Ecce Homo is going to be something special.
https://www.facebook.com/gavinfridaynews
https://www.instagram.com/gavin_friday/
Onyx Music Reviews 