Meat for a Dark Day - Vanity Unfair

by Helen Tipping

published: 19 / 6 / 2007

Label: Sheffield Phonographic Corporation
Format: 7"

Literate and compelling garage rock on debut single from Meat for a Dark Day, the new band of former Fat Trucker vocalist Mark Hudson

Review

Meat for a Dark Day are based in Sheffield, UK, and feature ex-Fat Trucker vocalist Mark Hudson together with Stephen Scott(guitar/vocals), Des Riley (keyboards), Paul Fletcher (drums) and Mark Armstrong (guitar/bass). Their debut single is destined for vinyl release at the beginning of July. The A side, 'Vanity Unfair', is a garage rock number, being a funny and perceptive story of someone in love with themselves in the mirror, who cannot deal with the rejection inherent in the real world. He's probably one of those cool looking types, wondering why no one speaks to him, and longing to return to his mirror that returns his love as he suffers the heartache of separation from his reflection. The B side, 'Three Mallards', is more balladic in style, I'm guessing the three mallards of the title refers to those flying ducks people used to have on the wall of their houses in the 70's. And so, relating to ordinary things, this is a sad song about the failure of an ordinary relationship. It sounds like the protagonist is hiding someone else in his room and inviting the ex to come around the next day to collect their stuff. Can you drag that concept out to 5 minutes? Only if you can write it as beautifully and compellingly as this.