Salad at Shiiine On Weekender (grabbed from YouTube)
Robert Fisk

Things in Heaven by Salad is a great introduction to the UK’s finest band

Or #Pressplayandturnuploud

Sometimes discovering a band years after everyone else feels like watching a box set years after everyone else has stopped talking about a show.

The show is still great but it loses something without being able to discuss plot lines and characters.

Salad at Shiiine On Weekender (grabbed from YouTube)
Salad live at the Shiiine On Weekender in Minehead in 2018 (screenshot from boojiboy6236 video on YouTube)
Me and Marijne
It is sad that I haven’t been to any kind of Salad gig since 2016
There will be a Things in Heaven video eventually but until then enjoy this classic track from back in the day

This is why if reading this is the first time you’ve heard about a band called Salad then it is vital for you to get your friends involved too so you can discover their tunes together.

But, unlike a box set, you don’t have to start at the beginning.

You can just start with their latest single Things in Heaven, which was launched in a very Covid-secure way with a Facebook Live listening party.

Until Friday I didn’t know that my favourite band of all time was back with some new material.

But I’m really glad they are. The Salad listening parties got me through a lot of lockdowns and this new track is a perfect piece of pop to make me look forward to live gigs again.

The complex musical structure works almost as a metaphor for the complexities of love while the lyrics conjure up visions of flying through the air with a partner, stopping occasionally in countries for fleeting moments. Achieving the impossible through the power of belief.

I didn’t have MTV growing up (y’know back in the days when it used to show music so had to wait until I went to friends houses to watch videos like this)
Marijine Van Der Vlugt's pet rabbit
Marijne Van Der Vlugt’s pet rabbit has made regular cameos at the Salad listening parties throughout the pandemic

Despite not fitting into a formula it is an epic indie pop number that will put a big smile on your face and get you dancing. It is quintessentially a classic `Salad track, with their unique way of looking at the world.

It’s a unique way which has captivated me throughout their career after I first discovered them in 1994 or 1995.

They are the reason I started writing a fanzine in the 90s, after a friend of mine said I couldn’t interview them for his mag because he’d done it a few months before.

They are the ones I used to listen to on repeat when the Drink Me album came out in May 1995.

Before the days of the Internet I was very happy when I managed to get all their early records. And I was sad when personal circumstances meant quite a few of my Salad CDs remained in a loft in Maryland, USA, when I moved back to the UK years ago.

They are the last band I saw before starting the job I have now.

I think Drink the Elixir is quite possibly my favourite Salad track
I’m sure I used to have this Salad set on video tape back in the 90s
Waldorf Salad
Salad’s early releases were put out on their own Waldorf label so here’s a picture of a Waldorf salad (“‘Jalapeno Face’ Spicy Waldorf Salad for Iron Chef (0021)” by smiteme is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

They are the band I was very excited to see for my birthday in October 1995 and still remember seeing them through the window of the ULU as my friends and I queued outside.

They are the band I’m most pleased are still producing music after all these years.

And I think you might love them too so give them a try.

All you need to do is go to the band’s official website and you can download the latest single for free.

Download, press play, turn up loud, Enjoy.

Stay safe for another week!