One of the most unique and the same time authentic anti-star groups ever, the greek new wave rockers Mora Sti Fotia released their debut album in the indie label Ano Kato in 1987, adding another entry to the series of groups that embraced new wave in the greek underground, but this time from a unique perspective, which was neither the english-tinged new wave nor the punk-wave coctail. It was a new angle, fresh, rebellious, with black humour and an attitude of struggling to make it through not through self-pity but self-awareness.

Even though their songs have, by now, been associated mostly with greek rock "in general", Mora Sti Fotia were not simply a bunch of rockers. Their influences, their output, their passionate performances radiate an energy that blew the hell out of most other "rockers" and defined a new sub-style of new wave. With shades of Teardrop Explodes, Zounds, New Model Army and even Bauhaus at their most glam-rock like (hence the cover on "Third Uncle" but more about that later on), Mora Sti Fotia took a shaker and combined it with razorblade lyrics and melodies that spoke about the reality of the greek society, its dead ends, the personal anguish, the stress, the near-paranoid nervous laughter that comes out of confusion and misunderstanding.

Their manifest unfolds with "Kato stin poli", a five minute new wave opus of deranged emotions and omnidirectional explosion, Salvador doing an amazing premier on the vocals and the cascading, throbbing bass lines, Paulidis using the guitar as Cure/Zounds disciple and the drumming relentless, over textures of minimal eerie keyboards. An all time classic of the 1980s with lyrics that reflect chaos and ambition, burning like sin, giving life.

And it's only with "Skilisia mera" that it becomes evident: the sound is built on the bass and the drums ever-present burst, the guitars edgy and never too dominant, the keyboards excellently rising in and out of the mix, the vocals and the lyrics revealing an amazing frontman and gifted poet of our troubled times.

"Aderfia stin kolasi" is my favorite song off the album and a shivering, nightmarish pounding masterpiece of anguish and despair, enigmatic lyrics delivered with the most paranoid of Salvador's vocals, the bass line nearly cracking out of the speakers. An undeniable winner.

"Iroini" continues the theurapetic healing, the near-suicidal description of a love weekend gone wrong used as a metaphor, to create a parallel line between love's hate and disappointment with heroin addiction, in a rather bleak song with great riff changes and melodies. The keyboards take a lead role here, as in "Pausipono" which ends the first side and gave the band their most cleverly hilarious song ever, a bizarre visit to a therapist as the pretext for Salvador's amazing performance of a patient hurt from love and desolation. This is 100% a Teardrop Explodes influence, but Salvador does so much more than just take the elements from Julian Cope: he creates a paranoid persona of his own, flesh and bones to a figure that still dances in frenzy every time the song is played in rock clubs, 17 years later...

"Manifesto" and "To paixnidi" race on side B with their New Model Army-esque flavor but as I have said before, the influence is only the first layer. From that point on, it's only a one-band show, these three maniacs that rock out of their hearts and create a tension and a range of emotions as few groups have managed.

"Iposxesi" moves in more somber paths, its slow tempo and chiming guitars as the canvas of Salvador's use of grey colour and black shades, a love narration on the verge of collapse, a dead end endured to the point of actually replacing the relationship. Sounds familiar?

And they kept the real punch for the ending: "Third Uncle" covered in the same glam-rocking freaky marvellous way as Bauhaus did back in 1982 but this time giving the song greek lyrics, Salvador by now creating a climax of rage, anger and madness, on a full attack that for all purposes and intents is his own one-man show. His voice changing from screams to whispers, from ranting to pleas, an endless monologue leading to the abrupt ending : enough's enough. And simply as that, it all ends.

A series of clash of egos and fights led to the split of the group, Pavlidis forming Xilina Spathia and dealing with ...errmmm.... "greek rock" to put it mildly. Salvador made a comeback in late 1998 with the second album exploring more edgy territory and by now as a third album by the sleeve, a new ace indeed. Judging from their fantastic performance at Patras some weeks ago, it is more than obvious: these people have a LOT more to offer. The new lineup seems very bound and energetic and as for Salvador himself...what can I say? The man RULES.