Tiny Monroe have returned with newly digitised music, and are looking to reaffirm their place in Britpop history.
Having spent nearly three decades in the shadows of Britpop giants, the band – comprised of NJ Wilow, Richard Davies, Alex Culpin, and Jon Solomon – marked their debut on streaming earlier this month.
On Friday 14 November, their 1996 record ‘Volcanoes’ was released on Spotify, with a new press release stating that more EPs and singles are set to follow in the coming weeks. This marks the first time their full catalogue will be available on streaming platforms.
This month’s release was described as a “true labour of love”, with the band tracking down the rights to their old material, as well as unearthing old recordings and finding photos from a classic shoot with the legendary music photographer Rankin, whose work helped carve out their distinctively ’90s aesthetic.
Now, with their music finally accessible to more listeners, Tiny Monroe have said the move was about reclaiming their legacy. “It’s about setting the record straight,” the band said. “We were there, part of that moment.”
As for the potential for a full reunion and tour, Wilow said: “The band reforming? Who knows what will happen in the future….”.
They existed as one of Camden’s best-kept secrets in the ’90s, a rare female-fronted band in a period typified by masculine swagger. In their time, the band played with Suede, Radiohead and The Pretenders, appearing at festivals like Glastonbury, Reading, T in the Park and more.
Elsewhere, they recorded live Radio 1 sessions for Mark Radcliffe in 1994 and Steve Lamacq in ‘95, while their single ‘Cream Bun’ reached Number Seven in the UK Indie Chart, proof of their impact throughout some of Britpop’s most defining years, which saw them were tipped by NME as having all the hallmarks of a “buzz group”.
“You know why instantly,” John Harris wrote in 1993. “They carry themselves with a fantastic panache, suggesting a latter-day, guitar-ridden take on the glitz that was once peddled by The Associates and ABC.
“‘Angel’ and ‘Creambun’ exemplify it: they’re full of the same swagger as prime Suede, only they’re set in plush hotels rather than sordid back alleys… Tiny Monroe, it seems, are going to be famous.”