Something very special is coming your way and is available to buy now. After almost years of deliberating The Empty Seats are now a reality. A bunch of Latics fans have formed a band playing Latics songs to Latics fans and after months of planning and rehearsals are now set to release their debut album. The album features new lyrics to classic songs from the Verve to the Pogues with a stomping punk and folky feel about them. Written with fervour and humour, these are tunes which should instil pride in all Latics fans and maybe even spawn a terrace anthem or two.
This initial seven track CD lasts just under half an hour and is now available to buy online at the Latics United website: http://www.laticsunited.co.uk but read on for a review of the CD and to learn more about The Empty Seats.
THE EMPTY SEATS – BRIDGE OVER MUDDY WATERS
How to review this? Well it’s bursting with passion and pride, tinged with humour, full of energy and featuring songs we all know but with a Wigan Athletic twist.
The message is a simple one: we want to sing and play music in celebration of our football club. Much maligned in the last couple of years by the local and national press, this is a football club with strong roots and a proud history. History being the fascinating path which all football clubs tread down to reach where they are today, not the number of trophies you win as certain other sports fans in the town of Wigan seem to misguidedly think. We are a resilient bunch and even in the tough times, we still have plenty to sing and shout about.
The Empty Seats are here to give this football club of ours the boot up the backside it needs and get Wigan Athletic fans shouting loud and proud again. Their debut CD ‘Bridge Over Muddy Waters’ contains covers of songs we all know and love but with a big twist: the lyrics are all devoted to their love of the Latics with more than one terrace anthem in the making in there.
What you make of their sound will depend on what you are expecting but you might just be surprised as the lads are remarkably tight considering they haven’t been playing together for long and produce a raw but solid sound throughout with lots of variation on guitar from Rob Podmore and Paul Middleton, vocals from Paul & Bernard Long on lead backed up by the expert drumming of Gaz Knowles.
The album starts off with a more than passable version of an REM number where Empty Seats lead singer Bernard belts out ‘I am a Latics Man’ and this is followed up by a tongue in cheek tribute to Latics’ flying Dutchman Ronnie Stam to the tune of The Verve’s ‘Lucky Man’.
The lads then crank it up a notch with the classic pogoing ‘500 Miles’ packed full of history and passion and standing up for your team and The Pogues’ Dirty Old Town is adapted for the next track as a call to arms to those of us who get behind our town and our team, with more than the odd sly dig at those who choose not to.
Up next, we’re firmly back into anthem mode with a clever play on words on the theme from the Great Escape which when you first listen to it will be wondering why nobody thought of it sooner and is certain to get picked up on the terraces, sorry stands in the coming months and the next track features more Pogues tunes, this time a lively number with a spot of light hearted reminiscing about the Torquay promotion party.
The CD rounds off with a rousing version of a James classic where the ‘Seats’ invite everyone to Sit down and celebrate our club and those who have played for us over the years to help get the club from the Non League to the Premier League. In the words of The Empty Seats: “We’re told that our history is nothing to be proud of but I can’t think of many who have done what we’ve achieved”
Which just about epitomises what is a fantastic result to produce such a great CD after just a couple of months of rehearsals and song writing. It’s a must for all true Latics fans!! Well you expected me to say that!
THE SERIOUS BIT
There is however, one other big reason why you should take an interest in The Empty Seats and that is because all profits from the sale of their CD will be going to The Anthony Ramsdale Appeal
Those of you who have previously been involved with Latics United fund raising will be familiar with The Anthony Ramsdale Appeal and although The Empty Seats are generously providing entertainment at a reasonable price for all Latics fans, there is as ever a serious cause behind it.
The price to buy the CD is just £4.99 plus P&P where required and Latics United expect to be able to put between £2.50 – £3.00 from every sale directly towards this worthwhile charity depending on sales.
It would be wonderful if hundreds of Latics fans could dip into their pockets and spend a few quid buying this album as every CD sold makes a difference to the £12,000 that the Ramsdale family of Latics fans are trying to raise for a specially adapted vehicle for their severely disabled son. Please respectfully consider the cause and don’t go down the route of file sharing or downloads for the sake of a few quid, we may provide a legal download in time.
Get your order in early as the initial batch will be going out in the next few weeks with more made available if the demand is out there. We are also actively looking for stockists who can sell this directly to the public and if you can help, please get in touch at info@laticsunited.co.uk.
With this in mind, we’ll let you know when and where you can buy it if you can’t do this online shopping lark.
If you can, then here’s the link again in case you missed it: http://www.laticsunited.co.uk
When you get there you’ll see instructions as to how to buy the CD.
Meanwhile, for The Empty Seats, this is just the start as they continue to develop their repertoire and there are several live gigs planned in the coming months, details of which will be made available soon and who knows, maybe their music will be heard wafting across the DW on match days before long as well…..
See The Empty Seats Facebook page for further updates.
Listen to a sample video of The Empty Seats
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