A BIG DAY IN THE NORTH – Manc Legends Black Grape Return With First Album in 20 Years

Black Grape are back with their first album since 1997’s Stupid, Stupid Stupid.

Pop Voodoo, the third studio LP by the band led by Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder and rapper Paul “Kermit” Leveridge, will be released on July 7.

The duo have teamed up with star producer Youth for the project, which will be Ryder’s first major release of new material since the 2007 Monday’s album Uncle Dysfunctional.

By way of a teaser, the band have shared the opening track of the album which sees Donald Trump firmly in their lyrical cross hairs.

Featuring Ryder’s typical acid wit and scattergun social commentary, the funky Everything You Know Is Wrong – Intro (see below), sees the Manc street philosopher spouting off about everything from healthcare to the president’s lustrous blond barnet.

Looser, if that’s possible, and even grittier than the Mondays, Black Grape will be hoping to repeat the success of their platinum-selling debut album It’s Great When You’re Straight… Yeah, which went straight to the top of the charts in 1995.

Now “relatively fit and healthy,” according to the band’s website, after his numerous drug addictions, Ryder says the new record was put together fast.

“We had a great time making the album – we wrote, recorded and mixed it within four weeks,” he says.

Ex-Ruthless Rap Assassin Kermit, promises some serious vocal duels between the pair, describing the album as “Me and Shaun eyeball to eyeball”.