Moggs Motel, the new band led by former UFO frontman Phil Mogg, have released their second single. Sunny Side Of Heaven is the follow-up to Apple Pie, which surfaced early last month, and finds Mogg in playful form.
"This then would be the opposite of the song Sunny Side Of The Street," states Mogg, without saying whether he's talking about the Pogues song or the jazz standard. "Let me explain... I had a very vivid dream whilst in the midst of recording. I had somehow been mystically flown to The Intrepid Fox (pub) in Wardour street, floating above Soho until, whoosh, I was at the bar standing next to my old comrades Paul Tonka Chapman and Peter Frederick Way.
"I remember it so well as Tonka asked for a pint of wine with a chaser and our Pete asked for half a pint of sparkling wine and to borrow £20 - and as you know dreams can seem to be very, very real sometimes, so I figured these must be my sweet devil's angels and I‘m on the sunny side of heaven, bravo! Now we are joined here by the lovely Zoe Devlin Love on vocals and the usual hotel crew kicking up a stink. Tally Ho. Enjoy"
The Moggs Motel lineup also includes another former UFO man in guitarist and keyboardist Neil Carter plus Voodoo Six bassists/keyboardist Tony Newton, aided by drummer Joe Lazarus (Twin Atlantic, Vennart, Gun, Kavus Torabi, The Last Internationale) and guitarist Tommy Gentry (The Raven Age). The album was recorded at the Essex studio of Iron Maiden leader Steve Harris.
In September 2022, UFO's farewell tour was abandoned after Mogg suffered a heart attack and had stents placed into two arteries during surgery. Mogg had already announced that the tour would be his last with the band.
Moggs Motel's self-titled debut album will be released worldwide (excluding North America) via SPV/Steamhammer on September 6, and via Cleopatra Records in North America. It'll be available as a CD digipak and a double LP bluer vinyl gatefold version.
