Edward II are one of the finest, if more unusual, Manchester bands. They started in the late 80s as an instrumental outfit mixing English morris tunes with reggae, then added vocals and brass, broke up and re-formed again, and now release their first full-length album of original material in more than 15 years. It’s been worth the wait. They pay tribute to their city with songs based on the Manchester broadside ballads of the 19th century. They sound rousing and relevant here, thanks to the sturdy rocksteady/reggae backing and gloriously easygoing vocals of Glen Latouche. The Great Flood retells an 1872 news story about factories and graveyards under water; it is matched against songs of hardship and anger, and the gloriously descriptive Victoria Bridge on a Saturday Night. Ewan MacColl’s Salford anthem Dirty Old Town and New Order’s Love Vigilantes fit easily into the mix.
