The Virginmarys are a duo from Macclesfield which features Ally Dickaty on Guitar/Vocals and Danny Dolan on Drums. I recently saw them in a support role where they displayed a visceral and powerful presence, Dolan stood up throughout the set doing what can only be described as his best wide-eyed Animal (from the Muppets) impression.

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Dickaty had a darker almost menacing presence, he looked quite edgy and dangerous, despite this there were times when both his voice and guitar sound were vivid and quite angular which created an aura of vulnerability. It is the essence of that which infuses ‘Beyond The House Of Fires’ making it feel stark yet totally accessible.

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In many ways this album could be difficult to review as it is a reinterpretation of 2024’s ‘The House Beyond The Fires’, an album I have not heard. Clearly, I can make no comparison between that and this, what I can say is that this sounds amazing, its lyrical themes offer a dark yet beautiful intensity against an achingly sparse instrumental back drop.

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The album opens with ‘My Nettle’, it begins with piano keys as the subject of depression is confronted, the nettle representing pain, Dickaty’s voice expressing hopelessness, anger and despair. ‘Urban Seagull’ follows with a lightly military drum opening. The Seagull depicting a city where we scavenge to live and pay the bills, a city where chaos and illusion dominate. The keys create a false serene backdrop to reality. Dickaty’s lyrics do not sugarcoat a society that if not already broken is on the apocalyptic edge.

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My guess is ‘You’re A Killer’ is casting its eye over the Atlantic at the state of democracy, from which we are fed fake news and platitudes while we constantly engage with our phones becoming more frustrated and confused. ‘White Knuckle Riding’ does not take you to the adrenaline fuelled theme parks, instead it takes you on a journey far deeper and more personal. A battle with mental health, day in and day out is something that is endured as our writer bares his soul via this desperate anguished plea.

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This album is not a two-minute ride that makes your pulse race, it is a ride through life that so many face, as they slip through the net and are forgotten in a world where the big apple is rotten, ‘There Ain’t No Future’!

‘Liar, Liar. Liar’ delicate keys build the intro of a song that reflects on deceit and lies, the pain that burns when you have no more to give, either in a personal relationship or one where your beliefs and ideals are shattered.

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I have now heard ‘House Beyond The Fires’ the difference between the two is the emptiness, the vivid space that draws the listener in like a blackhole. There is a difference in the sequencing between the albums and their reinterpretation, it also appears to me that there are two new songs, ‘Veteran Soldiers’ brings things to a close, a solemn start explodes into an aggressive rage as the soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder, veterans who are battle scarred and possibly wondering was our sacrifice worth it…

 

There is an ugliness that compels you to listen, it is brutally emotional and utterly compellingly poignant.