Phil Campbell/The Temperance Movement

Joe writes: I wrote about Phil Campbell once before but I wasn't expecting the music world to hear from him again. In the mid nineties, he was signed to EMI in what was a particuarly Kill Your Friends-esque era for the label. His debut album had a lot of money spent on it but was a stiff. After leaving EMI he formed a band called White Buffalo but eventually left the music industry before joining a new band, The Temperance Movement, around two years ago. They signed to the heavy rock label Earache, toured a lot, and charted their debut album at no. 12 in the official UK album chart.

My favourite from Phil's debut album was Hope, Faith & You, with its gloriously over-the-top string arrangement and a healthy dose of influence from Tom Traubert's Blues by Tom Waits. Hope, Faith & You was covered by Cliff Richard. Is it religious? It's ambiguous - he could be referring to his actual father. Either way it's a lyric about self-belief that is particularly appealing given the arc of Phil's career.

My favourite track on the Temperance Movement album is Chinese Lanterns, but remember that Chinese lanterns are dangerous and bad for the environment:



The Temperance Movement play Koko in London tonight.

Here's Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen):