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Black Grape: Leicester Arena

Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 24 November 1997

WHEN SHAUN Ryder recently sang Black Grape's comeback hit 'Get Higher', he no doubt afforded himself a mischievous grin. For years, Ryder was the dark prince of bacchanal excess, with a lifestyle that made Keith Richards seem like Cliff Richard. His former combo the Happy Mondays transformed the music scene by combining Ecstatic clubby grooves with rough-house rock, while Ryder himself was equally busy combining Ecstacy with crack cocaine, heroin, Prozac and anything else he could lay his hands on. Including, apparently, whelks.

Total word count of piece: 334

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