The Thanes

Formed in 1980 initially as the Green Telescope, then the Thanes of Cawdor, this Edinburgh outfit has seen numerous personnel changes over the years, although they have always been led by singer/guitarist Lenny Helsing. Another constant in the band's lifespan has been the unmistakable influence of jangling '60s garage rock.

The Thanes' first album, The Thanes of Cawdor, was released in 1987 and saw them win support slots with the <a href="spotify:artist:5BEYGWk6aPdNXxBx9pwU8S">Soup Dragons</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3wury2nd8idV4GecUg5xze">Primal Scream</a>, and the re-formed originals (and influences) <a href="spotify:artist:0q27BsP1o3MkfCQwZj8yPC">the Remains</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2g3PKH7Z1Ofn5oGR6oDjLy">Sonics</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3ZZHB1Xh2PM88QTMiqHB62">? & the Mysterians</a>. The Complete Undignified Nobleman Sessions surfaced in 1997 on the Italian <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Misty+Lane%22">Misty Lane</a> label and featured typically '60s-inspired self-penned cuts, plus covers of Caretakers of Deception and <a href="spotify:artist:0cQuYRSzlItquYxsQKDvVc">the Guess Who</a> numbers. Third studio album Downbeat & Folked Up, released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Screaming+Apple%22">Screaming Apple</a> (2003), was recorded at Liam Watson's Toerag Studio in London and featured a cover of <a href="spotify:artist:4DQj1q0unpi9KF8jO1Wqks">the Beau Brummels</a>' "Don't Talk to Strangers." The Thanes' output up to 2001 is neatly captured on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rev-Ola%22">Rev-Ola</a> compilation Evolver (2004), and on a live album, A Night in Great King Street (suitably "recorded live in a dingy cellar," as the cover states), issued on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Larsen%22">Larsen</a> in 2007. Between 2010 and 2012, the Thanes joined the resurrected lineup of revered '60s beat/psych combo (and fellow Scots) <a href="spotify:artist:11XZpCBI7ExNNqmQoSgcJU">the Poets</a>, and after a number of years returned to the studio themselves in 2013 with Angus McPake (guitar/organ/vocals), Mark Hunter (bass/vocals), and Mike Goodwin (drums) joining Helsing. The release on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22State+Records%22">State Records</a>, "She's Coming Back to Me," featured a cover of <a href="spotify:artist:11XZpCBI7ExNNqmQoSgcJU">the Poets</a>' "Love Is Fading Away" on the flip. This was followed in 2014 by the Dirty Water-issued single "Dishin' the Dirt." ~ Matthew Garbutt