Anglo-Irish behemoth Jetplane Landing (Andrew Ferris, Jamie Burchell, Raife Burchell and Cahir O’Doherty) are set to mark the 20th anniversary of their epoch-defining LP ‘Once Like A Spark’ with a vinyl reissue – pressed with black/green and eco mix finishes – through Big Scary Monsters on 27th October.
A must-have for fans of UK post-hardcore – admirers of Biffy Clyro, Rival Schools and Hundred Reasons will find comfort great here – the re-release will also come with 27 exclusive digital bonus tracks.
A DIY-success story, Jetplane Landing grafted against the tide in a career that spanned more than a decade to win adulation from the likes of Zane Lowe, who gave them heavy rotation on MTV2 and Radio 1, and saw them share stages at Glastonbury and Reading Festival with the likes of Biffy Clyro and Hell is for Heroes.
Frank Turner, who was a member of upstarts Million Dead at the time, cites the album as a continuing influence saying “Jetplane Landing were unquestionably one of the most vital, important bands of their era, and Once Like A Spark is, to me, the moment when they reached their peak. An album that inspired a lot of people to push forward, make changes, hit the road – myself included.”
By 2003, two years into their career, Jetplane Landing had already performed hundreds of shows up and down the UK. The epitome of DIY success, they were carried aloft by a rabid, early-internet fanbase willing them to greater commercial heights. Their live shows were incendiary – their performances lauded as “staggering” (Hot Press), “unspeakably brilliant” (Metal Hammer) and “a life-changing experience” (Drowned In Sound).
Clutching a fistful of road-tested material, Jetplane returned to Jamie Burchell’s (bass / vocals) parents’ home in Bognor Regis to record their second album, Once Like A Spark – now widely regarded as their most influential, and a classic of the genre.
Sean Doherty, who had mixed their first album Zero For Conduct, this time took on production duties – Once Like A Spark was then recorded in the living room of Jamie’s parents’ house while they were on holiday (a significant upgrade from the garage in which they had recorded their debut).
The band’s emotional delicacy was still present, but was now ferociously amplified by the high-wire guitar acrobatics of newest member Cahir O’Doherty‘s (Fighting With Wire, New Pagans), heart-wrenching lyrical honesty, and an atomically-tight rhythm section, powered by Jamie’s brother Raife Burchell on drums.
The record is available to pre-order from Big Scary Monsters here.
