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Album review: M*ARX – ‘Red Planet Blue’

By Ian Ladlow
Gary Marx main

Goth pioneer Gary Marx returns to his East Coast glam rock roots

East Yorkshire doesn’t get enough credit for its contribution to popular music, but it was in Hull that David Bowie found the legendary Spiders from Mars (that became his backing band for the early seventies and the collection of iconic albums that followed). A few miles away from Hull, in Withernsea, a newly teenage Mark Pearman was bewitched by the rising glam rock stars, especially Mick Ronson, appearing on Top of the Pops.

By 1980, Mark was renamed Gary Marx and became a founding member of The Sisters of Mercy with Andrew Eldritch. When the original Sisters folded in 1985, after the release of the seminal ‘First and Last and Always’, Gary Marx went on to form Ghost Dance with former Skeletal Family singer Anne-Marie Hurst. Since Ghost Dance split, Gary has sporadically released albums, but in recent times he has re-engaged with the recording process with a renewed vigour. 2024 saw the release of ‘Green Ginger Jive’ which celebrated both Gary’s Hull and glam rock roots, whilst last year’s ‘Sad Songs for Anthony’ was a fantastic collection of goth-tinged tracks. For his third album in as many years, Gary returns with a very indulgent homage to the sounds of 1972.

Gary Marx live
Gary Marx - live

The songs were recorded and mixed by Mark Sturgess at Wakefield’s Soundstation, except for ‘Tiger Moth’ which was recorded and mixed by John Spence at the renowned Fairview Studios in Hull. There are a number of guest singers on the album who Gary selected using his unique logic: “I decided I only wanted to invite people to sing who were my age. I relaxed the rule slightly for the CD, but on the vinyl, I needed kids who would have been in my year’s intake at high school. That became my gang.”

It’s a mammoth album, but according to Gary, it’s definitely not a concept album. There are over thirty songs on the CD version, very few exceeding three minutes, interspersed with short snippets of soundscapes, spoken out-takes, and the occasional slice of elephant-based whimsy…

The likes of ‘High Brighton Rock’ and ‘Elektra Glide’ continue the Bolan boogie of ‘Green Ginger Jive’ but with added sax. ‘Tales of Vermillion’ has Salvation’s Daniel Mass taking vocal duties in one of the album’s early highlights. The verses are very reminiscent of Daniel’s own band, but the chorus takes us into a wholly different arena, and it sounds magnificent.

Whilst ‘Planchette’ and the Barry Snaith sung ‘Cherry Bomb Love’ are slinky glam rock romps, ‘Hands Up’ almost encroaches into Springsteen territory, and is an enticing curveball. Likewise for the sweet sentiments of ‘Summergangs’ where Gary’s acoustic guitar strums graciously between the harmonies. Another highlight is current single, the Mikey Moo sung ‘Paradigm’, a track very indicative of the album’s overall tone – with a glorious sax dominating the central passage over a relentless beat (with subtle sci-fi wind chines for added effect). ‘S.W.A.M.P.’ is the heaviest track on the album with a deep guttural scowl replacing Gary’s usual baritone vocal. ‘Riot’ is an enjoyable slice of pure T-Rex nostalgia for all of its 78-second duration.

Another change of direction comes with the bar room swagger of ‘Schmaltz’, closely followed by the semi-spoken ‘Next Stop the Moon’, which wouldn’t be out of place on a Barry Adamson album. Hull’s Norm Kirby takes over vocal duties for ‘Tiger Moth’, a charming tune that reminds me a little of Cockney Rebel. ‘Starsky and Hutch’ has echoes of 80’s soundtracks rather than 1972, but nonetheless it still has an addictive groove. The cello led ‘Cri De Claire’ has the moving refrain of ‘Schmaltz’, leading into the excellent ‘Hoodwinked’, a tune that initially seems to merge elements of ‘Live and Let Die’ with ‘Mona’ before becoming its own song. ‘Orbit’ features a seductive bass line, handclaps aplenty, ongoing cries of “M.A.R.X.” and a highly hummable chorus. There’s couple of live songs thrown in with Daniel Mass returning for the rockabilly rumble of ‘Slingshot’, full of fuzzy guitars, before the North-West’s ‘premier entertainer’ Filthydirty from Evil Blizzard growls his way through ‘Babylon Bop’.

Gary Marx

The closing trio of songs veer from the strutting ‘East Coast Shuffle’ through the reflective ‘Sand Le Mere’ to the sombre reminiscing of ‘High School Highs’. It’s a poignant end to the album, as Gary brings the project full circle back to 1972.

There are a good number of songs on here that have an instant appeal, but the album as a whole is a grower. Whilst the live tracks are fun, it does give the album a slightly cluttered feel on first listen. Nonetheless, it is a fun album and an excellent tribute to the year of Gary’s musical epiphany. 

The vinyl version has a different running order and a shorter run time, plus variations of some of the songs.

‘Red Planet Blue‘ is out on 18th September 2026 via Infrasons E.Y. Records. Buy it HERE

Gary Marx - 'Red Planet Blue' album cover
  1. Anywhere Any Place Any Time
  2. High Brighton Rock
  3. Elektra Glide
  4. Tales Of Vermilion
  5. Little Misfit
  6. Planchette
  7. Hands Up
  8. Cherry Bomb Love
  9. Ten Foot Two
  10. Summergangs
  11. Red Planet Blue
  12. Jumbo Mambo
  13. Paradigm
  14. S.W.A.M.P.
  15. Hunk
  16. Riot
  17. Riff Raff
  18. Schmaltz
  19. Para D
  20. Next Stop the Moon
  21. Sweet Harp Attack
  22. Send For the Priest
  23. Tiger Moth
  24. Starsky And Hutch
  25. Paper Cut
  26. Cri De Claire
  27. Hoodwinked
  28. Orbit
  29. Slingshot
  30. Babylon Bop
  31. Rattlesnake Boys
  32. Def Rattle
  33. East Coast Shuffle
  34. Sand Le Mere
  35. High School Highs
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