Intastella feat. Jah Wobble - The Rise and Fall of Northern Dubstar

  by Nicky Crewe

published: 2 / 10 / 2017

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Stella Grundy was the lead singer of Intastella, a band based in Manchester who made their mark through the 1990s. She’s an actress and a writer as well as a musician, and she brought these talents together in her one woman show, 'The Rise and Fall of a Northern Star' in 2013. I was lucky enough to see her perform it at the first Louder Than Words festival of music and writing, now held each November in Manchester. With minimal props in a small hotel room, Stella Grundy took us through a musical journey via her character Tracy Star. Some of that journey was based her own experiences as singer with the original Intastella. Manipulation and black magic, drugs and disappointments, it’s an ‘everyday’ story of a young woman caught up in the music business, with no guarantee of a happy ending. Not long after I’d seen this early version of the show, I got the opportunity to interview Stella for 'Mudkiss' online magazine. I’ve followed her progress on this unusual project ever since. Back in 2007 Stella Grundy created a theatrical show about Nico, once singer with the Velvet Underground and later resident in Manchester. Given Nico’s cult status, it could have been a difficult act to make a success, but such was the response to 'Nico Icon Play' that it was given a ten performance run at the Lowry Theatre in Salford. Having developed this new one woman stage show, an album of the music featured in 'The Rise and Fall of a Northern Star' followed in 2015, to good reviews. Jah Wobble, formerly of PIL was involved and it was produced by Jonathan Hurst. From that concept album, sprang a new project, 'The Rise and Fall of a Northern Dubstar'. It’s getting great reviews, and a remix of the track Supersize has hit the US Dance Charts running, proving that the songs stand alone as well as forming part of the narrative. The North is in the musicians and the dub is in the music, with ‘versions’ that reference Velvet Underground, Bowie, rave, psychedelia, choral and electro musical styles. Produced by Mike Bennett (Ian Brown and the Fall) tracks feature, among others, Jah Wobble, the Smiths’ Mike Joyce, John Robb and the Membranes, and John Cooper Clarke. It’s a star studded list. There’s even a recording of Aleister Crowley in there. Aside from the scope and excitement of the music, there’s something very encouraging about this twist and turn in the tale of Tracy Star. Both she and Stella Grundy are heading for the success and recognition they deserve.

Track Listing:-

1 Lemons
2 Supersize Industrial
3 Plastic Head (Tracy Star)
4 The Rise and Fall of a Northern Dubstar
5 Acrimonious Frame of Mind
6 Unzip Your Revolution
7 Time Stood Still
8 Time Stood Still, Part 2
9 Rock and Roll Crime
10 Moondog
11 Dub Trap

Band Links:-

https://en-gb.facebook.com/Intastellastellagrundy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intastella
https://intastella.bandcamp.com/

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