Chiba Sprawl are a five-piece from Liverpool who create darkly captivating music. Be warned - one listen and Chiba Sprawl threaten to take hold of your senses.
Comprising Ade and Danny (vocals/guitars), Stu on guitar, Dave on bass and Ritchie on drums, Chiba Sprawl describe their sound as a rich mixture of cinematic lyrics, white noise acoustica, wailing harps, electric drumming and the occasional gypsy violin.
Think Bowie, early Mercury Rev, Dylan's 'Desire' laced with a shot of contemporary voodoo blues and you might find that you're listening to Chiba Sprawl.
Chiba Sprawl's first album, Voodoo White-Out, something of a collectors' item now, came out on the obscure Belgian 'Bad Voltage' imprint in 2001 and was followed by a year later by the acclaimed, Live At The Hangman's Grill.
The band's career took a temporary nosedive into chaos when their manager got set up by a bunch of Swiss rastas and was caught at Tokyo's Narita airport with eight k's of dope in his luggage. He's currently serving four years hard labour in a Chiba prison under the harsh Japanese regime where one is presumed guilty until proved otherwise.
Having re-marshalled their forces, a new album is imminent. The self titled 'Chiba Sprawl' (Diamond Cutter Records) features the band's latest material as well making available the best of the songs from the first two albums that have yet to be heard by a wider public.
