Fire devastates New Model Army studio

Post-punk band New Model Army’s Bradford-based studio has suffered extensive damage following a blaze, which reportedly started in an adjacent furniture outlet, PSNE has reported.

While most of the building, which also houses two floors of Party Space, a screen-printers and a number of other studios rented by professional outfits was saved during the incident on Christmas Eve, New Model Army’s facility was almost entirely decimated.

Several pieces of high-end equipment were destroyed in the fire, including vintage Gretsch and Slingerland drum kits, a Hammond C3 organ, and a range of collectable guitars and amplifiers. Demos for the band’s next studio album were also lost, as well as recently discovered 30-year-old tapes containing material that was set to be included on a forthcoming reissue of 1984 album Vengeance.

However, the band’s singer, Justin Sullivan, remained upbeat, as he commented: “We have really been amazed by the response and the generosity of the offers of assistance we have received. Of course, we are all upset about what has happened, especially the loss of irreplaceable musical instruments and three or four months of recording work, but we are insured and hope that at least our financial losses will be covered. In the end, though, nobody was hurt and what was lost is just material. The band is about People and Spirit and without doubt this has never been stronger. There may perhaps be a bit of a delay in our activities but otherwise everything will continue as before.”