While some bands get a fair slice of the cake, others seem to be denied a place at the table for no discernable reason.
Just last night, Sun13 towers had a soundtrack of Thomas Lang to go with our Saturday night Malbec and the discussion turned to why, in a world where Sade can be massively successful and amass a 50 million pound fortune, is Thomas Lang not a household name.
The answer is as cruel as it is true – talent is not always enough.
In the music business, the cream does not always rise to the top and success seems to be as much down to lucky breaks and prevailing fashions as it does to talent or quality.
One band who have suffered this more than most is Candy Opera.
Taking their cue from the likes of Pale Fountains, Love and Aztec camera, Candy Opera made smoothly superior 80s pop music with soul.
Other bands loved them and Candy Opera supported the likes of The Pogues and The Go-Betweens. The media loved them, with great reviews in Sounds and Jamming magazines, along with a slot on Granada TV.
But for whatever reason, none of this seemed to stick, and Candy Opera split up in 1993, leaving only a few demos to prove their existence.
An astonishing 35 years later, Firestation Records heard these demos and fell in love with them. A long overdue phone call was made and Candy Opera’s debut album, 45 Revolutions Per Minute was finally released.
The album sold out almost immediately due to their legend growing in their absence.
Now Candy Opera are ready to release new album The Patron Saint of Heartache and lead single These Days Are Ours can be heard below.
The song is a classic slice of epic, widescreen pop music. It is also proof that talent does not disappear when we grow older.
These Days Are Ours starts with the line “All the best things of your life will pass you by in the blink of an eye“, a line made more poignant given the back story of the band.
The song casts an atmosphere of summer and, listening as the sun streams in through the windows, is as perfect a song as we’ve heard since, oooh I don’t know when.
If the rest of the album is as strong and skillfully executed as this, then Candy Opera’s indian summer could be just around the corner.
If this is the case, there would be a sense of justice being done and a wrong being righted.
These Days Are Ours and Candy Opera deserve a wider audience. Let’s get behind this record and demonstrate that sometimes talent can win out and the good guys can win.
Personally, I hope we see Candy Opera finally get their place at the table and get their slice of cake. They deserve it.
Sun 13 