The Good The Bad & The Queen
Merrie Land (2018)
The band’s styling, on both the album artwork and in their videos and live shows, was as individual as the music, reflecting a certain otherworldly, out-of-time vibe. Merrie Land, which sees the band mash up historical references with present day concerns, in both the songs and the artwork that comes with them largelty created by Paul Simonon.
“I’m really influenced by film noir and early British Gothic films – Great Expectations or Brighton Rock, that heritage of British films – and obviously there’s a lot of amazing French and European films in general that have influenced me.”
“I don’t really want that rock n’ roll lighting – I want theatrical lighting, I want it to look like we’re going to the theatre.”
“Obviously I enjoy getting involved in the creation of music but what I like about the theatrical side is it’s like painting images with people.”
““While we were recording the record, I was doing a lot of drawings in the studio and when you’re reduced to limited apparatus you make do with what’s there, so I was using a pen and ink but also I was using Nescafé coffee, so I could get those sepia tones.”
Photographic collages & drawings by Paul Simonon / Quotes taken from an interview with Eliza Williams
Merrie Land Super Deluxe boxset featuring exclusive prints and ribbons