A flawed grand design, The Leyland P-76 was emblematic of Seventies excess. Imagining Shakespeare’s tragic cuckold Othello hooning the main street of Everytown in this dodgy chariot put Re-Mains songwriter, Mick Daley, in mind of the monochromatic vision of John Howard.

“If you’re alive you’re political,” says Daley. “And what Howard’s doing to the soul of this country needs at least a few songs to hit back – my part in the war on error.”

‘Othello’s P-76’ is the first track of The Re-Mains forthcoming album, ‘Vregedonomy’ currently recording in the band’s home hills of far northern NSW, between Nimbin and Byron Bay.

Christian Pyle, the brains behind ACRE, the Brisbane band that had several charting songs in the early Oughties, is producer for this, The Re-Mains fourth album.

He’s taking a different tack to the band’s traditional full-tilt country rock and roll, investing more time and technology in creating a shorter, more concise and considered album that’s culled a potential 30 tunes down to 12 finely honed tracks.

“Christian’s an expert at paring my epic Dylanesque sagas down to tight, explosive songs that have all the power of country rock and roll in a leaner format,” says Daley.

“There’s more keys – Phil, our banjo-slinger plays a mean Hammond organ, and with a different line-up to our last records a racy sound that’s a few miles down the road from our last, live album.”

That record, the live ‘Love’s Last Stand’ was recorded in a mud-brick hall on the North Coast of NSW. Rolling Stone magazine awarded it four stars and it received universal acclaim from musical peers, blues legend Chris Wilson declaring it to be ‘the best live album produced in Australia - ever.’

Though the line-up has changed, the band’s reputation has only been enhanced by cracking shows at top venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Tamworth and Byron Bay.
In July 2007 they embarked on a 6-week national tour that was rudely interrupted by a collision with a cow near Tennant Creek, NT. Drummer Grant Bedford and guitarist Dave Ramsey both suffered serious injury and the touring van was a write-off but four weeks later the band, calling on a reliable pool of replacements, was playing shows at popular Sydney and Hunter Valley venues.

Recording the rest of ‘Vregedonomy’ has been postponed till Ramsey and Bedford are back on their feet, but meanwhile, with a new van the full band is touring to Melbourne and rural Victoria in October.

Benefit gigs in Byron Bay, Melbourne, Tamworth, Canberra and Sydney have been put together by a distinguished cast including Mick Thomas, Tex Perkins, Chris Wilson, Acre, Sara Tindley, The Detonators, Sarah Carroll and Suzannah Espie and Jimmy Willing.

They raised enough cash to pay the injured band members prodigious medical bills and get the band back on the road and back into the studio.

‘Vregedonomy’ is expected to be completed by 2008. Meanwhile ‘Othello’s P-76’ is a taste of the battered but unbowed Re-mains, post-prang.