LP – Limited Edition White Coloured Vinyl. When youre growing up in a small town.you say no-one famous ever came from here. Theres only one good thing about a small town..you know you want to get outyou hate it and youll have to leave. Lou Reed and John Cale (Songs for Drella – a fictional drama about Andy Warhol) Living in the satellite town of Yate, a few miles from Bristol, was the equivalent to the Warhol situation for the members of the young indie/Goth band, Fear of Darkness. If you didnt get out, the options for your future life were limited, personally and professionally. It was the proverbial dead end street, a wasteland in terms of fulfilling any potential you had. Kindred spirits did. A precedent had been set shortly before by Wayne Hussey, front man and leader of The Mission. His band was aptly named given his parents strong religious beliefs. Another musician of note, Angelo Bruschini, used his talents to go on to play with local Bristol legends Massive Attack, with earlier work with Blue Aeroplanes and his own post-punk band, The Numbers. It would by amplified by a name checking for Yate (the kind of a town referees come from) by Half Man, Half Biscuit and then the literary phenomenon of J K Rowling and her Harry Potter novels! This small town back-drop gave Fear of Darkness the motivation and opportunity to make their bid for freedom and expression. The first attempt was with initial singer Dave Mac where the band attempted a fusion of The Alarm and The Clash, all rebel rousing punk attitude cries of despair and rage against the climate of the times in the mid 1980s. Songs from this period can be heard on The Virgin Land album that was released on Bristol Archive Records. Phase two saw the introduction of Rich Hulands and a shift towards a darker, more Goth tuned approach. It was supplemented by the addition of Angela Huggins to their ranks providing a gender and textual counter point to Hulands edgier vibe. This preceded the similar vocal contrasts used in the mid 1990s by Leeds gloomsters, Sisters of Mercy after Husseys period spent in the band. The newly released Phobia album contains eleven songs recorded from 1986 to 1988. A first statement of intent with this new direction is in the opening track Lay Me Down. This was originally released as a single in 1987. The song is a straight into the heart and ears classic, with sonic twisting and turning leading to an epic but economical Darby guitar solo. The track exits in bright, heads-up blaze of positivity. She Said has guitar pyrotechnics blasting out great shards of sound before the band show the heavier dimension to their palette. There was always a brave battle to add further ingredients into a genre that had many adherents in this time period. Fear of Darkness sometimes succeeded and sometimes fell short. But that didnt stop them trying again. A potential lost anthem follows later in the tale that is True. It could be a story of the make me special modern age where everyone struggles with how they feel and how they are, either about themselves or someone they care about. This version of Fear of Darkness could be tough or tender, both in terms of content and conclusions. Rise above any phobia as not for love nor money should you pass on enjoying this album. Dave Massey (December 2025) Tracklist: Side A1. Lay Me Down [04:39]2.Friends Like You [04:09]3.Just Another Day [02:42]4.Not For Love Nor Money [03:46]5.She Said [04:32] Side B1. Shut Up [03:16]2. True [03:52]3. So Cold [03:36]4. Talk To Me [04:39]5. It\’s My Nature [04:19] Vocals: Richard HulandsGuitars: Neil DarbyBass: Paul TravisDrums: Paul GibbBacking Vocal: Angela Huggins