The arrival of Cabbage‘s debut album Nihilistic Glamour Shots is one that has been long-awaited. Dreamt about, written about, we have eagerly anticipated the launch of their (hopefully) long-chain of albums as an active band.

Knowingly controversial, Cabbage is indie music’s answer to rebels and rogues.  With a post-punk twist and a working-class background, many a fan can relate to the band.

Their motif or even coat of arms since the days of ‘Le Chou’ has been a scrawled etching of colour in the form of a maniacal, mechanical head in bright primary and secondary colours by the artist Bogzart. Working closely alongside the artist, Cabbage have given her work a worthwhile boost whilst it so closely matches their own aesthetic of frenzied lunacy.

Known for their theme and their willingness to speak up, Cabbage was involved in the BBC Radio 4 documentary ‘The Art of Now: Band Politics’. The BBC series saw BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins examine bands that represent this current wave of interest in politics and topical issues. Including Nadine Shah, Cabbage and Life, the programme questioned which factors are making this change to many a bands’ theme. The documentary aired on March 22 at 11.30am on Radio 4.

This was almost a prelude to the release of their debut album at Manchester Art Gallery.  Cabbage mentioned at the event that this was an evening with a twist: “There are a limited amount of tickets due to the size of the venue so to all who find a deep interest in scrapbooks and bathtubs make haste for the tickets…”

The whole evening could not have been more “Cabbage”, showing us something new and opening up the doors for other bands to step forward and present a similarly high-quality level of creativity. With work inspired by the band, they presented an evening at the city centre gallery with work from the aforementioned Bogzart, as well as the band themselves.

A tent showcased hooded figures picking at forgotten flowers and notes, as well as another tent with Smashed Vinyl sharing an interactive workshop, where participants could release any rage by pelting at a record. After the destruction, SV artist, Kirk Whitehouse, would take the pieces and form the artwork of Cabbage’s album.

The satirical posters and obscure looking potions also accompanied a live performance from Cabbage. Their stripped back performance of the album was something true fans revelled in, pared-back versions of ‘Preach To The Converted‘ and ‘Gibraltar Ape‘ alongside the rest of the album’s tracks were every inch professional and impressive with the Cabbage-like edge of demented glamour.

Cabbage recently finished the first leg of their 2018 UK tour, including a sold-out show at London’s 100 Club. On May 19th, the band will curate ‘Glamour At Thee Ritz’ at Manchester’s O2 Ritz.

CABBAGE LIVE:
April 14 Coventry, Empire
April 18 Oxford O2 Academy 2
April 19 Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
April 20 Brighton, Patterns
April 21 Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
Main support on all April dates (except 21st): She Drew The Gun

May 19 Manchester O2 Ritz, Cabbage Present… Glamour At Thee Ritz Also featuring PINS, The Blinders, Rhythm Method, Witch Fever, Lady Bird, Sports Team + more to be announced

Tickets for all gigs http://gigst.rs/CABBAGE