When singer-songwriter, Marc Valentine – aka ‘Norfolk’s prince of power pop’ – joins our Zoom call to talk to us about his brilliant new solo album, Uncommon Side Effects, he is sat in the record shop he owns.
It’s located in the seaside town of Cromer and it’s called Another Planet, taking its name from ‘Another Girl, Another Planet,’ the fantastic 1978 single by elegantly wasted UK band, The Only Ones, who, like Valentine, have written killer power-pop songs with a cool swagger, a raw punk energy, a touch of glamour and a rock and roll spirit in the vein of Lou Reed and The New York Dolls.
Both of those US acts have had a big effect on Valentine – former frontman of Camden glamsters, Last Great Dreamers – and his band: Richard Davies (guitar), Richie Poynton (bass), Neil Scully (keyboards) and Rik Pratt (drums).
“Yeah – Lou Reed and The New York Dolls are definitely a big influence on us, and Iggy too,” he says. “Those acts had a great image and presence – when we were growing up, they were the people who stood out. I grew up during punk – I was buying singles when I was about 10. I was a big fan of Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers, and I loved The Damned. They were my early influences. I never got into metal.”
He adds: “I then got into The Clash, who are still one of my favourite bands. They were incredible – their output in such a short period of time… It just amazes me.
“As I got older, I went back a bit and got into Mott the Hoople – Ian Hunter is a big influence. I learnt a lot from his songwriting. I’m still delving into the past – as you know, there’s still a lot to discover. I like girl groups and, of course, I love The Beatles and The Stones, and a lot of modern stuff as well.”
Uncommon Side Effects is one of Say It With Garage Flowers’ favourite records of 2026 so far – with its mix of high-octane, punky power pop, sci-fi synths, rock and roll and epic, cinematic ballads, it doesn’t deviate too much from his previous two solo offerings, 2022 debut, Future Obscure, and its follow up, 2024’s Basement Sparks, but it does find time for some folky reflection on the mysterious and pastoral ‘Half Moon Pendant.’
“I don’t know how the fans will take to that song, but I hope people will like it,” he says.
Maybe it will cause uncommon side effects… *coughs*
Q&A
Let’s talk about Uncommon Side Effects – the third in your trilogy of solo albums, after Future Obscure in 2022 and Basement Sparks in 2024…
Marc Valentine: Indeed – one every two years. I’m pretty quick… I think it took my last band about 30 years to make three records!
The new record feels like a companion piece to the previous two – great power pop and rock and roll. For the most part, you haven’t really altered your style across the three albums, have you?
No, I haven’t – I think that’s a good thing in some ways. I’m always experimenting with other stuff, but I talked with my label [Wicked Cool Records – the garage rock label founded by Springsteen guitarist, Little Steven Van Zandt] about trying to make another good pop and rock and roll album. It is power pop, or whatever you want to call it, but obviously it’s got a rock and roll spirit.
‘I do an album every two years – I’m pretty quick… It took my last band about 30 years to make three records!’
You’re the first person I’ve spoken to about the new record. Outside of my band, the record company and Gerry [Ranson – MuleFreedom PR], I don’t know anyone else who has heard the album!
Thanks for the exclusive…
It’s great!
So, to make the record you went back to The Old Cider Press studio in Worcestershire and worked with Dave Draper (The Professionals, The Wildhearts, Dodgy) again – he produced your last two albums…
Yes – it’s Dave’s studio. I love working with him – it’s home from home in many ways. When we first met, back in 2020 / 2021, we hit it off. He has a great way of getting the record to sound like how I would imagine it to sound – he’s a big fan of Weezer, like me. They’re a big influence – and the Pixies – but a lot of people don’t reference it. People see me more as a ‘70s guy, but working with Dave is very exciting because we’re both pop kids. We have a shared love of things.
Big, layered guitars…
Yeah – we do put a lot of guitars down in the studio, but we can’t reproduce that live… We want it to be separate beasts – we’re very much a live band. We don’t have any backing tapes, but we use a lot of keyboards in the studio. Having Neil [keys player] in the band means we can replicate a lot of what we do in the studio, which is brilliant. I think it’s given it another depth.
‘Weezer and the Pixies are a big influence on me but a lot of people don’t reference it – they see me more as a ‘70s guy’
What’s the recording process like for you and the band?
It’s a mixture of stuff… mainly multitracking… I usually do the demos first in my little studio at home and then we redo it with Dave – he works so fast… I don’t know how he does it, man. He’s incredible and one of a kind. I’ve worked with a lot of guys over the years, but he’s unique – we can make an album in half the time we would’ve done back in the day. This record was piecemeal – we did it over three- or four-months last year, rather than camp out in the studio for two weeks. There are a couple of tracks that we didn’t put on the record – the label wanted it to be a 10-track album. It’s short, punchy and compact.
Yes – it doesn’t mess around; it kicks off with ‘NY UAP’ – a blast of infectious, New York UFO-themed power pop/ rock and roll that seesaws on a big keyboard riff. It came out as a single earlier this year…
I had the basis for the song, but when I came up with the keyboard riff, I knew that was it… I was excited by it – it worked so well with the song. It was inspired by when me and my band went to the States and played on the East Coast, in 2024. The New Jersey lights [mysterious sightings in the sky] were happening – it was in all the headlines, and we were sticking our heads out of the van all the time… It was my first time playing there and it was amazing. People were telling us that they’d come to the shows because they’d heard us on the radio, which was quite unusual and refreshing.
And quite old-fashioned… It’s much more romantic than saying, ‘We heard you on Spotify…’
Definitely – that’s what we grew up with back in the day. It was radio and magazines… When we recorded ‘NY UAP’ we thought it was probably going to be the opener on the album and the label thought the same.
The most recent single from the album was ‘High In The Underground’, which is another full-on power pop / ‘70s-style rock and roll song. I was at the video shoot for it, which was filmed at the Hope & Anchor in North London, after a gig you played there just before Christmas last year…
Yeah – we badly mimed to it… (Laughs). There’s very much a Lou Reed inspiration on that song – it takes vibes from that. It’s a song about chasing the dream when you’re young and all the mistakes you make.
‘It’s a song about chasing the dream when you’re young and all the mistakes you make’
When I saw you play live, I thought you had a cool, ‘70s Lou Reed and New York Dolls look and feel, as well as the Stones’ swagger. All the best bands look like they’re a gang. I’m thinking of The Beatles, The Stones, The Smiths, The Clash… I don’t like it when individual band members all have a different look – a disparate fashion sense. It annoys me…
The image is really important – it makes you look like you have more of a commitment to it.
‘You Are The Jet’ was the first single from the album. It’s a song about having a disconnection from someone else – a relationship breaking up…
Yeah – it is a disconnection song. It’s sending out a message [to someone] that things didn’t work out, but there is something that they need to know – that they’re a special person in many ways and there are things about themselves that they don’t realise.
‘Loneliest Part’ is a slower song – it mentions ‘acid rain’ and it feels like a comment on the state of the world, the human race and how things have gone wrong…
Yeah – indeed… It’s a perception of humanity, and, again, the disconnect that we have, and how it’s spiralling out of control. The idea came from a book called The Purple Cloud [by M.P. Shiel] – it’s early Victorian sci-fi. A guy wakes up and every single person in the world is dead, apart from him. He travels around the world and there’s nobody, but eventually he finds someone… It’s an incredible story of loneliness.
‘Hanging On A Dream’ has an epic, widescreen sound. It feels like a song that’s partly about being on the road…
That’s interesting… We’ve been rehearsing it – we’re going to play that one live for sure. I think you’re spot on with it – it has that Tom Petty vibe.
Yeah – I can hear that…
‘The idea came from a book called The Purple Cloud – it’s early Victorian sci-fi. A guy wakes up and every single person in the world is dead, apart from him.’
‘Half Moon Pendant’ stands out, as it’s stylistically very different from the rest of the album. It’s acoustic, folky and reflective – pastoral, haunting and mysterious. It has almost a touch of folk horror…
Yeah – you’ve got that right. I wasn’t sure if that track would make the record – as you say, it really stands out. It’s not like what I normally do, but it was important to have it on there – it’s quite a personal song. Richie – my bass player – played the acoustic on it. I don’t know how the fans will take to that song, but I hope people will like it.
You’ve got to try these things… In complete contrast, it’s followed by ‘Temporary Buzz’, which is the heaviest and punkiest song on the album…
(Laughs). That track was good fun to do – it’s pretty fast. We’ve been rehearsing it to try and get it right!
It’s got a great punk / New Wave feel…
Sure – I’m glad you like it.
The last track on the record, ‘When The Light Has Gone’, is anthemic – it’s a hopeful song about friendship – or love – and being there for someone during the dark times…
Yeah – like you say, it’s not necessarily romantic… It can be about someone who is close to you. It’s just saying that however bad things are, I’m here for you. I’ve played that one acoustically a few times, but it turned out differently on the record. Me and Dave did a version of it for the last record, but we didn’t put it on there. It was a synth version, and it will probably come out on some kind of outtakes record at some point. It’s completely different.
Where did the title Uncommon Side Effects come from?
I had it lying around for a while. I had some unexpected reactions to a couple of things when I was younger and those experiences stayed with me. I had another title that I was playing around with, but the label really liked Uncommon Side Effects, so we went with that.
The cover art is fun – you’re stood on top of a tall building, perilously close to a giant, red-eyed rat…
(Laughs). Yeah – that someone further down the street, in the window with the red curtains, has concocted. Where did he come from? Something’s gone wrong here…
You like fun and off-the-wall artwork for your records, don’t you?
Yeah – it’s important for me. As a kid, I would buy records that stood out. If I liked the sleeve, even if I didn’t know the band, I would try it. I want to make that connection with the artwork and the music – it’s a package. I enjoy designing and creating it.
I’ve seen you play twice with your band – you’re great and you’re building up a good reputation. You’ve been touring a fair bit…
We do as much as we can, but, with the logistics, it’s not always easy – the rest of the guys are all over the country, and everyone has to work and do their own thing… My guitarist, Richard, has his own band [Richard Davies & The Dissidents]. I’d be doing more shows if we could. At the level I’m at, there’s no money in it, of course. We’d love to get on more tours as a support – to get in front of new people and bigger crowds, which is always a challenge. There’s a lot of competition. I have a record label, but I don’t have a manager or an agent. We pretty much do everything ourselves. It’s hard work, man, but I’m lucky to be doing what I do.
The grassroots scene is tough, as is the music industry…
It’s horrible. We all put a brave face on, but it’s bloody tough, man. I don’t want to be pessimistic but… We need young bands, but the concept is different these days – their growth is purely online-generated…
It’s never been easier to get your music online, thanks to streaming platforms, but how do you stand out and get heard? There’s so much competition and music being uploaded to digital platforms all the time…
It’s almost incomprehensible – how do you get it beyond a few people? That’s the challenge that I have – and everybody else… It doesn’t matter how many records you’ve made, getting that next step up is tough, and we’re not a young band, so that works against us. If The Libertines go on tour, they don’t want us to support them – they want a younger, cutting-edge band… and I’d be the same if I was of that status… But, saying that, 30 years ago, you couldn’t be my age [now] and playing in a band. The environment is now much better for older bands.
‘It doesn’t matter how many records you’ve made, getting that next step up is tough’
What’s your songwriting process like? How do you prepare for an album?
It’s interesting and it’s inconsistent. I have a busy life outside of music that can sometimes inhibit my creativity. I sometimes have batches of songs. I’m always writing ideas down or recording snippets – some of them don’t ever make it into full songs, but I think it’s important to keep doing that. I was talking to a friend the other day – he is a writer. He said even if you’re going through a fallow period, or a time when you pick up a guitar, but you hate what you’re doing, you’ve got to do 10 or 20 minutes of writing every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s nonsense – it might never see the light of day – but creativity is a discipline.
For the new record, I wrote a lot of songs close together. I think the last one was ‘Loneliest Part’, which I wrote the night before we were recording. I knew there was one song I wanted to put on the album, but I didn’t know what it was. It turned out OK.
I’m now looking at writing songs for the next record. I have songs that are sitting there, but perhaps I’m going to leave them and go onto some new ideas. Sometimes an idea can sit in the background for a year or two and then I drag it up again. I go through my notes and recordings and think, ‘Oh, yeah – I forgot about that…’ So, I’ll polish it up and bring it to a song. Hopefully when I come off this call to you, I can go and write something, but I don’t know…
Do you write on guitar?
I write mainly on an acoustic guitar and on piano – even though I’m a rubbish pianist… I like using a keyboard, as it brings out different elements of melodies. I can play more chords on a piano than I can on a guitar. I sometimes write on an electric guitar. Whichever tool you use can bring a different result – I sit down with a synth sometimes. I haven’t written anything on a flute yet…
You might have a folk album in you…
That would be cool. It’d be nice to do something completely different – to have a concept and stick to it – but it’s difficult when you’re trying to build a fanbase and expand it. The existing fans want you to do what you do, so you don’t have that leeway to go off-kilter, but I probably will…
Uncommon Side Effects is released on April 10 (Wicked Cool Records).
For Marc Valentine tour dates, records and info, visit:
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