German Shepherd Records Presents: The Junta Interview by Bob Osborne.

German Shepherd Records Presents:

The Junta

A Renaissance Man: Monty’s Musical World

Interview by Bob Osborne.

John “Monty” Montague is a busy man. Aside from having a weekly radio show on Salford City Radio, he currently has his own solo project called The Junta, as well as being a member of the band Positronik and currently plays keyboards for new Manchester supergroup, the San Pedro Collective. Perhaps proving he is not superman, he recently parted company with the band KIT B, where he played bass, due to time constraints. This article concentrates on his solo project, but touches on his other work.

With eighteen releases since 2014, The Junta is a prolific project. The focus is on Dance-based Electronica, but over those releases there has been variety in the music produced and also in the inclusion of several guests, quite a few from the German Shepherd kennel, taking the music beyond its Electronic roots into new areas, including Indie, which is Monty’s other favourite genre.

Live, The Junta’s show combines music and audiovisual effects, with Monty performing on keyboards, bass guitar and electronic devices to a backdrop of videos which enhance the listening experience.

With a slight lull in his activities, I took the opportunity to discuss with Monty what he has been up to and what plans he has for the future. Why did you decide on the name The Junta?

Back in 2013, I’d watched the film ‘The Iron Lady’ [2011] out of curiosity, because I like Meryl Streep. The movie brought back memories of the Falklands War in 1982. The TV coverage, John Nott on TV most nights, the sinking of the Belgrano,and Galtieri and the Junta. So the name was derived from that.

What gear are you currently using for your live shows?

I’m using a MacBook Pro with Logic Pro X audio editing software, which is what I use to write Junta tunes, with a Behringer keyboard. I have started running them through a Peavey mixer, so I can expand on the live set. I have used my bass guitar in the past, but I have recently started using a Kaossilator Pad, and the Roland VT-3 Vocoder, which are two electronic devices I can use as additional instruments in a live setting. The trouble is, once you get a couple of these devices, you want more. It’s opened the floodgates and I want to add a few more gadgets to the live rig. Never mind … it’s nearly my birthday!

What are the main musical influences for The Junta’s sound?

Although my favourite band is New Order, The Junta is more influenced by early Human League, Orchestral

Manoeuvres in the Dark, Pet Shop Boys, Kraftwerk, and notably Jean-Michel Jarre. I wrote the track ‘Orca’ on my first album ‘Art of Glass’ [2014] as a homage to Jarre, and also named the closing reprise after him too. I nearly got to interview him at the bluedot Festival at Jodrell Bank in Macclesfield for my radio show on 94.4FM Salford City Radio. I got the guest pass and everything and I had to hang around at teatime near the reception in case I was to get the phone call if he was running a bit late … but alas, it never happened, never mind … it was still one of my all time favourite gigs! I’m also influenced by ‘90s Techno, with artists like Orbital, Leftfield, Soulwax, and LFO.

What music are you currently listening to?

I’m listening to the new Public Service Broadcasting album ‘Bright Magic’ [2021], which is amazing, a bit of a departure to their sample-laden back catalogue. Also the new Manic Street Preachers album ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ [2021]; and a promo copy of my mate Jed [Stephens]’ new album ‘Hi Tech Low Life’ [2021], which is brilliant, very Techno, but also very cinematic too. Plus I love the Working Men’s Club debut album [‘Working Men’s Club’, 2020] too. I got to see them recently at The White Hotel in Manchester, following their triumphant support set for New Order at Heaton Park just a few hours earlier.

When are you planning to release new material?

I have a couple of unfinished tracks which I intended to put vocals on. I’m never confident with lyric writing, apart from being happy with the track ‘All Roads’ from the ‘Network’ [2018] album. I look at my lyrics sometimes like a Rorschach Test, at first look they seem OK at first, then you look at it again, they look terrible! I want to expand on what I’ve got and write at least an EP, and I’ve done a song for the annual charity album on German Shepherd Records which will be out at Christmas. I’ve been tied up with

rehearsals for my current Junta mini-tour, and also being involved with San Pedro Collective and trying not to annoy my family with my various musical ventures!

Audiovisuals are a key part of your live show. Why did you decide to do this?

I was definitely inspired by The Human League and Philip Adrian Wright’s slideshows. I was always conscious too about doing this as a solo set and wanted something visual going on behind me. Howard Jones used to use a mime artist, but I definitely wanted to go down the route of back projections. I started off doing solo live shows as The Junta back in 2014, did my first gig at Wangies Pub in Eccles where I used to DJ, and I started just doing slideshows. It wasn’t till I did my first proper promo video for the track ‘Ergonomic’ [‘Ergo’ EP, 2017] with producer Renee Byrne, which we filmed under the viaduct at the start of the Mancunian Way in Manchester city centre. I watched her in action editing down the video, of which I was in awe. Since then, I’ve had a dabble doing promo videos of my own to accompany my releases but also as a backdrop to my live sets too. Jed has a stunning light show for his live act but I feel more comfortable making videos. I had a go at trying to assemble a light show, having a dabble with DMX controllers recently and it was a headache!

There are a lot of Film and TV references in your music. Is this a key inspiration?

Definitely! My biggest loves are music and cinema … particularly Sci-fi. Both loves from an early age. The whole Agents of SHIELD homage on the ‘Hydra’ EP [2015] stemmed from the opening track, for which I cut up marching sounds into an almost Afro-beat. I decided to expand it into a full EP. And also ‘Orca’ [‘Art of Glass’], while I was jamming it out, I originally had a sample of Robert Shaw as Quint singing ‘Farewell and Adieu’ from ‘Jaws’ [1975]. I played that in my earlier sets.

Tell us about the project where your music was used in Albert Square / Manchester Town Hall?

I got an email back in 2014, it was a bit out of the blue regarding a series of events called ‘Big Digital Project’, which used local visual artists / photographers and combined their works with music. It was done in various locations in Greater Manchester. I can’t remember if I’d expressed an interest, or someone had heard my stuff but ended up sending the organiser my debut album. A track off the album, ‘Half Moon Street’, was used to accompany a projection on the front of Ordsall Hall in Salford. I was glowing with pride already when I was told the following week that the Project would climax on a Saturday night with the whole of my album being played while images projected on the annex of the Town Hall and the building opposite on Lloyd Street. Albert Square was really busy that night too, so I was like the cat who got the cream ...

How did you get started in music?

I was a bit of a late starter really. I’d always dreamed of doing what I’m doing as The Junta when I was in College in ‘81, but the keyboards at the time seemed a little out of my price range. It was only in the mid-’90s when I bought my first lead guitar ... learned about seven chords on it ... and just couldn’t get into it. Then I bought my first bass guitar from a mate of mine. I loved it instantly, jammed along to Cocteau Twins and New Order. I’ve still got that guitar and I’ve tried to pass it on to my son who’s twelve, but he’s more interested in Tik-Tok. It was only when I started going to jam nights at the old Town Hall Tavern in Eccles, which were predominantly Classic / Heavy Rock, which I got the taste of performing live. I grew to love Iron Maiden after doing those jams, but I seriously wanted to do something more Indie. I got chatting to someone called Jez on Join My Band, who wanted to put a band together. It was called Klunk … after the little guy off Wacky Races. There was me, Jez, and the legendary Mike Leigh, the drummer from The Fall in 1979/80 and on the legendary

‘Dragnet’ [1979] and ‘Totales Turns’ [1980] albums and the ‘Fiery Jack’ [1980] single. Mike had just come out of a long musical hiatus and had bought himself a Roland electric drum kit. Klunk didn’t really work out, fortunately Mike got chatting to Carl Lingard, an Eccles songwriter / instrumentalist, and we formed the band Pearl Divers. I loved that band, we also had Tony Da Ghost on keys, joined later by Jeff Black on guitar and other machines. Aside from Carl’s vocals we had Ben Spilla who brought rap to the mix, and also Danielle Carter and her amazing voice. After a debut gig back in 2009 at Night and Day in Manchester we did around thirty gigs before Mike went off to join The Blimp and Jeff, Danielle and myself decided to form Positronik.

How did Positronik come about?

Pearl Divers had a gig lined up at Islington Mill in Salford as part of a Salford City Radio fundraiser, but the split happened. Jeff said to me and Danielle, ‘Look, I’ve got a load of songs I’ve written, fancy carrying on and doing the gig?’. This all happened in 2011, we had eight weeks to rehearse a completely new set. Fortunately, it went down really well. It was a closer step to doing something more Electronic too. Danielle left after a couple of years and Nathalie Haley is now the singer with the band.

And you were in the band KIT B?

Yeah, not long after Pearl Divers finished, I got a call from Danny Cusick, who was fronting the band The Hidden Gem. Pearl Divers played a few gigs with them and we became good friends. They’d just split up, and Danny suggested recording some tunes. It went well and we ended up performing as KIT B ... Knowledge Is The Bomb. We worked with Craig Bodell, who was also in The Hidden Gem, in his house in Longsight in Manchester. Craig was crucial to our first recordings as KIT B, with the production, he’s an excellent multi-instrumentalist and went on to form another band with Danny called Crab Dance GIs. For KIT B, we were

Joined by Mike Powell [Night Operations / Exchange] on keys, and Tony Ashworth [Tunnelvision] on drums. We did our debut gig at Wangies! I knew Mike from following New Order, and interviewing him and Jed when they were together in the band Exchange. KIT B have had several great releases on German Shepherd Records.

And The Junta emerged?

While this was going on, I’d just bought myself a laptop, and Jeff gave me some Korg music software. That was it! This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I bought a USB keyboard and a digital 8-track. And wrote the tune ‘Eat My Dust’ and another instrumental called ‘The Junta’. If I recall, I sent them to you at German Shepherd saying, ‘What do you think of these? It’s a mate of mine ...!”

I don’t remember that part!

I love doing The Junta as a project, not that I hate being in a band! It’s just I’ve got full autonomy ... the songs, the set, where I’m performing,. It’s exactly what I dreamt of while I was at college. Although, I don’t think I could have ever envisioned being in any band beyond fifty years of age! I’ve been working in parallel with both bands and The Junta ... well, till the pandemic. KIT B had a gig lined up at The Dublin Castle the week the lockdowns started. Sadly it was cancelled, a pity I’ve always wanted to play Camden Town.

How do you find the time to be involved in several bands?

Well, you need a patient wife! To be honest, the gigs and rehearsals didn’t really clash. When one band was writing, I was performing live with the other. Positronik and KIT B ... Two completely different bands, Soul / Synthpop and Indie. It was like my Ying and Yang!

So are you still in KIT B and Positronik?

For the time being, Positronik have

been absorbed into San Pedro Collective, a group featuring Rikki Turner [Paris Angels / The Hurt] and Simon Wolstencroft [The Fall / Ian Brown’s band]. I’d been in touch about five years ago with Rikki when I featured the very long-awaited second Paris Angels album [‘Eclipse’, 2015] on my radio show. Not long after, Rikki rang me and said ‘Look, I’m doing a project’, which was a duo at the time, and would I want to record a bassline something along the lines of a Mr. [Peter] Hook) on a couple of tunes. So, I met him and his musical partner at the time at a producer’s flat off Salford Precinct. One of the tunes was I think called ‘Garland Major’, which unfortunately didn’t see the light of day. Then, a few months ago, I got a message off Rikki saying, ‘Join us on keys until December, and support us when we support Peter Hook in October’. I said ‘You had me at ‘Hook!’’. Jeff and Nathalie are also in the band. Jeff, Rikki and myself have just written a tune for the new San Pedro EP, a song called ‘Darkest Days’. I wrote the initial music, which sounded like New Order meets Elbow. Jeff rearranged it and now it sounds like John Barry. Rikki has written a smashing lyric for it. We are also sitting on a load of new material for a new Positronik album which we will get to once our San Pedro commitments have finished. KIT B are looking to get back to gigging , and I was really, really looking forward to playing with them again. But I’ve just had to step down as bassist. It was a decision I didn’t take lightly. My time is limited and I didn’t want to be the one holding back the other three. I am gutted about leaving them, I’d been in the band for ten years! I do wish them all the best, and I look forward to seeing them in the future.

You have quite a few guests on your releases. Tell us about working with Moet, Aidan and Loop?

As much as I loved doing the first three releases which were all solo, I had toyed with the idea of guest vocalists. It was when Ian ‘Moet’ Moss [Four Candles / Cosmic Panthers / 2 Lost

Souls] messaged me about doing a tune together that things really started to happen. When I was writing the second album, ‘Network’ [2018], it was a theme about coming together globally ... well pre-Brexit, so it was fitting to collaborate with others. I messaged Loop-aznavour about the possibility of doing a tune together. He sent me an early version of a now popular Adventures of Salvador live favourite, ‘Welcome to My Village’ [‘Welcome to Our Village’, 2019]. Loop sent me his vocal, and I recorded the music. I also messaged Aidan Cross [Weimar / The Baccilus]. I sent him the tune first and he added his wonderful vocal for the track ‘Ghost in the Machine’. I was really pleased with the results and I got to perform live with all three of them at the album launch at The Peer Hat in Manchester. I had intended to collaborate further for the third album last year, ‘J3’, but when the pandemic hit, I just kept myself busy writing it myself. Plus, I spent the pandemic doing promo videos for the majority of ‘J3’ and also the tracks ‘Je Suis’ and ‘Eat My Dust’. And I’ve done some remixes for Inferior Complex, Glasnost, Jed and Lizard Brain. I have chatted to Aidan a few times about doing an album together! I’d love that! Plus Rikki has spoken doing something more Dark Electronic, so I may be working with him on that.

So, you’re not winding down then?

God forbid! I brought out my first album just before my fiftieth. I’m only just getting started! I did a gig recently with Man Machine, a Kraftwerk tribute band, and they said, ‘You really look like you’re enjoying yourself!’ I love it! I need this to occupy me, otherwise what am I going to go on and on about on Facebook?

The Junta Discography:

‘Eat My Dust’ (2014) ‘Art of Glass’ (2014, with an expanded version released in 2015) ‘Hydra’ (2015) ‘Agent Coulson Remixes’ (2015) ‘I’m Deranged’ (2017) ‘Wild Is the Wind’ (2017) ‘The Mouse That Turned’ with Ralph Florian Wumme (2017) ‘Ergo’ EP (2017) ‘Ergonomic Remixes’ (2017) ‘Welcome to My Village’ - with Loop-aznavour (2018) ‘All Roads’ (2018) ‘Network’ (2018) ‘Je Suis’ (2019) ‘Live at AATMA’ (2020) ‘Tech Noir’ (2020) ‘Tech Noir - The Remixes’ (2020) ‘Live at the Crescent 2014’ (2020) ‘J3’ (2020)

All available from the link below, except for ‘Eat My Dust’, ‘I’m Deranged’ and ‘Wild Is the Wind’, which are available from I-Tunes, Amazon, etc.

thejuntauk.bandcamp.com/music