Dave Sweetmore - 18th July

As far as influential bands with longevity go, The Farm can easily be classed as one of our all-time great British bands. Over 40 years since forming the journey continues, with the recent news that the band have now been signed to the highly respected Modern Sky label.

Following a set at the legendary Glastonbury festival a few weeks ago where they were regarded as one of the highlights of the whole weekend, a statement on the bands Facebook page a few days later read 'We are excited to announce that we’ve signed with Modern Sky. A huge thanks to all our fans for your unwavering support. This is just the beginning of an incredible journey. Stay tuned for amazing things to come! Onwards and Upwards'.

The Farm formed in Liverpool in 1983, and led by the ever cool and unmistakable Peter Hooton, went on to produce some of our Great British indie anthems. Their first commercial hit record was a dance remake of the The Monkees hit '(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone', which had originally been recorded by American band Paul Revere & The Raiders, and later covered by The Sex Pistols. In September 1990 they gained their first number one with 'Groovy Train' followed by 'Altogether Now' in the November of the same year. By the time their debut album 'Spartacus' was released in 1991, it was inevitable that with two huge anthems recently released, it would go straight to number one in the charts. It was an album in which everybody who was around at the time owned, and still sounds great today.

Other singles followed including 'Don't Let Me Down', 'Mind' and 'Don't You Want Me', alongside two albums, 1992's 'Love See No Colour' and 'Hullabaloo' which followed two years later in 1994, along with various compilations and live albums which have been released over the years. Another great single, 'Feel The Love', was released in September last year, and last month their 'Groovy Hits' EP was launched. The Farm have always remained actively busy over the years and are still one of the best live acts around.

'Altogether Now' will undoubtably be an anthem which is used on many campaigns and events forever, and now with the band being signed to Modern Sky, a label who work with some of the best new bands and artists of an era including The Lottery Winners, Alex Spencer, The Lathums, Red Rum Club, Jamie Webster, and Brooke Combe, plus many others, is bound to open the door to yet another generation of fans. The Farm and Modern Sky is a great combination, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

We can hope that new music may be on the horizon, and there is no doubt that there are plenty more touring years left in the band. If you get the chance to see The Farm at a gig or Festival, I'd highly recommend you do. To be kept up to date with all goings on in Farmland, you can find the band on all usual social media channels, or online at www.thefarmmusic.co.uk. Long Live The Farm.