The Penny Black Remedy

The Penny Black Remedy is a London-based band playing a mix of country, ska, folk and punk. The band’s name refers to a pub in Edinburgh called The Penny Black, which opened at the unusually early time of 5am.

The band's line-up has broad international origins; the nucleus of the band consisting of songwriter Keith M Thomson from Scotland on vocals and guitar and Croatian vocalist and percussionist Marijana Hajdarhodzic. The band's extended line up includes Jeremy Mendonca, from California, on vocals and bass guitar and Barbara Bartz from Poland on violin. Live, the line-up sometimes includes guests musicians; including Jamie Shaw and Mason Larkin sharing drum duties, and founding member of punk band U.K. Subs, Paul Slack, on bass.

The Penny Black Remedy received the Gibson Guitar Best Alternative Act award at the 2008 UK Indy Awards.[1]

They released their first album No One's Fault But Your Own in Spring 2009. The album was recorded in Zagreb, Croatia. They announced a global distribution deal with Cadiz Music in November 2009.[2] They released their second album Inhale... Exhale... OK, Now You Can Panic! on 15 July 2013.

Sometimes referred to as TPBR, they released their third album Maintaining Dignity In Awkward Situations on 24 November 2017. The album was co-produced by Boz Boorer (guitarist and co-songwriter with Morrissey and The Polecats). Released an acoustic compilation album of previously unreleased songs called Owing To Certain Complications... Vol. 1 on 16 October 2020. A second volume, also of previously unreleased material, is planned for release in 2021.

The songs draw on dark humour and absurdity, often dealing with drinking, paranoia and death, whilst having memorable sing-a-long choruses, which result in rowdy live shows. Extensive touring in the UK and Europe, including sold out residencies at London's venue The 12 Bar Club, have seen the group gather an enthusiastic hardcore following.

The Guardian newspaper's review of their single "I Won't Argue When I'm Dead" claimed it was "Quite simply, the finest country sing-along I've heard on the vexed pop topic of how one's body should be disposed of after death."[3]

Thomson has pointed to the dedication of their fans being the result of the band's unusual, dark humour mixed with harking back to a traditional, almost old-fashioned take on live music gatherings: "The fact that most of my songs are about death, lost love, brothels or just trying to live in a constant state of crippling paranoid fear and cope with the daily grind of everyday life is irrelevant. If anything, encouraging people to sing loudly and out of tune about the absurdity of general existence seems to instil a sense of comfort and unity. I think."[4]