Bristol (UK)-born, Madrid-based singer–songwriter Mike Stanley’s many influences range from 60’s sunshine pop, soul and country through 70’s new wave and power pop.
Emerging from the punk and post-punk scene in Bristol, UK in the late 70s (Emergency Exit, Total Abusic, The Groove Tube), Mike decamped to Madrid in the 80s, where he has lived, made records and performed his songs in a constant stream of concert appearances.
Two records were recorded with the band Free Radicals in 2004 and 2006. These were The Pretty Ghost Of The Truth (Several Records) and the Little Congregation. Subsequently, Mike released his first solo release, the power-pop influenced Rain Stopped Play in 2009, produced by Cuban recording artist, Athanai.
Colliding With A Heartbeat, with old Radicals bandmates, Amable Rodriguez and Jose Alvarez came a couple of years later in 2011. Mike then initiated a mainly acoustic project called Hungry Survivors, concentrating mainly on live performance in small venues. Some of the songs included in his set at this time were later released on the album, Passing Place Acoustic Demos 2012-2014.
His Hungry Survivor period culminated in the release Dictations From A Dream (2017), which included a transitional mix of acoustic numbers and darker rockers. 2019 saw the release of Red Pink Purple Blue, an entirely self-produced collection of indie and power-pop jangle. His new album, Cold Case, in a similar vein to RPPB but with more power, is due out this year 2021 in collaboration with old school and band-mate Jon Klein (Siouxsie, Specimen and Fangoria producer).