Formed from the split of XM3a (who had one huge single and a Black Moth split release on NHS Records), Transmaniacon came together in 2014.
The band’s heavy riffing and over-driven organ and synth prog/sci-fi/space rocking was given an altogether new vibe with the arrival of vocalist and songsmith Simon Holliday. His vocal performances on the following album The Darkening Plain have been described as “astounding – dark and utterly convincing” and punk/post-punk tinged, sitting as they did on the epic 25 minute ‘Quintessence Of Dust’ alongside a Lydia Lunch spoken word appearance.
It was perhaps this unusual alliance of styles and the dark theatricality of the album and band (with only one ever immersive performance of a 35 minute ‘Quintessence’) that meant while the album was well received, it was also not completely understood either. Holliday left the band to join London noise-punks Art Trip several months later during the song-writing for the follow up album, Suzie Pellet.
Holliday’s sad, premature death in March this year shocked the band along with the large musical fraternity with whom he had worked during his musical career (From 80s/90s Camden days with The Unbelievers alongside The Faith Healers and Snuff to producing Skinny Girl Diet and playing back in home-town, Portsmouth with Milton Underground Resistance. From synth and sound for Stereolab to on the road with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Turin Brakes). As a tribute to him, Transmaniacon has revisited, remixed and mastered two of Holliday’s songs written at the time of The Darkening Plain album but not released at the time.
Both dark and dense (neither fitting thematically with the post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting for the album), ‘Kill Your Love’ is driving and ferocious Deep Purple-styled rocker about a doomed relationship, while ‘Please Kill Me’ is a pounding and doomy progger of angst about illness and assisted death
The tracks are available as a free/name your price digital single by NHS Records with a new sleeve design by Simon’s brother, artist Dan Holliday, and available here.
