Pretty Vicious quit Virgin-EMI

THEY were the band tipped by many to be the future of Welsh rock ’n’ roll, but this weekend it has emerged that Merthyr’s Pretty Vicious have parted company with their record label.

Little is known of the reasons, but a spokesperson for the band said: “Pretty Vicious and Virgin-EMI have agreed, mutually and amicably, to go their separate ways.

“The band are about to announce shows for September and will be recording new songs very soon.”

When the band signed with the UK label in January 2015, it marked a meteoric rise for the youngsters, who had only played their first gigs at The Redhouse in Merthyr the month before putting pen to paper on a deal.

After releasing a track, Cave Song, online, their eagerly anticipated debut shows saw the music industry descend on their hometown, with a bidding war breaking out among major record labels for their signatures.

As part of the headline-hitting deal with Virgin-EMI, it was understood the band were handed a slice of priceless rock ’n’ roll history – the actual contracts The Sex Pistols put their signatures to when they signed for Virgin Records in 1977, as well as original albums signed by The Pistols.

The gigs followed the band’s playlisting on Radio 1. With more than 10 million listeners tuning in daily, it was huge exposure for the band.

Pretty Vicious were formed in the summer of 2014, when then-teenagers Brad Griffiths (vocals and guitar), Thomas McCarthy (guitar), Jarvis Morgan (bass) and Elliot Jones (drums) got together.

The band, renowned for highoctane, full-throttle live shows, released several well-received singles, and built a dedicated fanbase, as well as securing support slots with Manic Street Preachers, Noel Gallagher and Stereophonics.

However, a highly-anticipated debut album failed to materialise.

Pretty Vicious made a low-key comeback playing Merthyr Rising Festival last month and will headline Hoyfest at The Gate Arts Centre in Cardiff on Saturday, September 30.