Def Leppard, Sex Pistols Members Team for Manraze – EP Premiere
Manraze – the trio fronted by Def Leppard lead guitarist Phil Collen and consisting of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and bassist Simon Laffy – will return with a new EP, I Surrender, on November 12th. Premiering here, the three-song release is a succinct representation of the group’s assorted musical approaches, from Collen’s soulful, stripped-down “All I Wanna Do” and the roaring live jolt of “Connected” to the shimmering, layered studio number “I Surrender.”
“The whole concept of Manraze has always been doing exactly what we want, and that involves being quite diverse,” Collen tells Rolling Stone. “I Surrender represents that diversity. I’ve been told that this song sounds like a combination of the Police, Pink Floyd, the Sex Pistols and Def Leppard. I take that as a compliment.”
The title track dates back eight years, according to Collen, who had forgotten about the song after Manraze first attempted it soon after their 2004 formation. While on tour in 2012, it finally took shape. With backing vocals from Debbi Blackwell-Cook (who also appears on “All I Wanna Do”) and the capable rhythms of Cook and Lafffy, Collen ranks “I Surrender” as Manraze’s finest moment to date.
When Manraze isn’t working together, Collen forges on with his day job with Def Leppard. Meanwhile Cook has been collaborating with both Edwyn Collins and original U.K. punks Subway Sect. As for Laffy, who first played with Collen in Girl more than three decades ago, he has recently penned Red Sunrise and Seed of Satan,two soon-to-be-published historical novels.
