The Room re-record ‘Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl’
Liverpool post-punk band The Room re-record 1982 song for new album “Doom Pop!”, out digitally August 12, 2026 via 9×9 Records.
Liverpool post-punk band The Room release the single ‘Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl’ digitally on August 12, 2026. It is the second single, after “Drill, Baby, Drill!”, from the band’s third album since their 2023 reunion, “Doom Pop!”, due September 4, 2026 via 9×9 Records on CD, digital and limited eco-vinyl, with North American distribution through Darla Records.
“Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl” was originally written in 1982 and released that year as the band’s debut single for Red Flame Records. It is the only older song reworked for “Doom Pop!” and one of just three of the band’s 1980s songs that have remained in their live set. The new version was recorded and mixed at Ark Recording Studios in Liverpool by Steve Powell, produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell, and mastered by Pete Maher.
“‘Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl’ is the only older song re-envisioned for this album, and one of only three 1980s songs by The Room to survive in our live set,” said Dave Jackson. “We decided to re-record and release it as it fits neatly into our new repertoire with its exhilarating jangly forward thrust, and also highlights Clive Thomas’ unique drumming.”
On “Doom Pop!” as a whole, Jackson said: “We aimed at shorter, sharper, more pop-oriented songs than on our previous album ‘The Telling’, which was a continuous story told in eleven songs without repetition or distinct choruses. The ‘pop’ element mainly harks back to the roots of our music, updating our original spiky, post-punk independent sound with Ethan’s keyboard stylings. Lyrically, it is a response to the current climate of emerging fascism and paranoia that increasingly colonizes all media.”
The current line-up features Dave Jackson (vocals), Becky Stringer (bass), Darren Brown (guitar), Ethan Kyme (keyboards, theremin) and original member Clive Thomas (drums), with Tom McCabe playing drums on two tracks. “Doom Pop!” follows “Restless Fate” (2023) and “The Telling” (2024), both also released via 9×9 Records.
The Room’s live dates
The Room play the following shows around the release of “Doom Pop!”:
- September 11, 2026 – Birkenhead, Future Yard
- September 12, 2026 – London, Aces & Eights
- September 26, 2026 – Liverpool, 81 Renshaw Street
- October 9, 2026 – Edinburgh, Wee Red Bar
- November 13, 2026 – London, Dublin Castle
About The Room
The Room formed in Liverpool in late 1979 around singer Dave Jackson, guitarist Robyn Odlum, bassist Becky Stringer and drummer Clive Thomas. Early releases on their own label, Box Records, drew comparisons in the press to Joy Division, The Fall and fellow Liverpool band Echo & The Bunnymen, and won the band support from John Peel, for whom they recorded four sessions, plus an appearance on “The Old Grey Whistle Test”. In 1982 the band signed to Red Flame Records, debuting with the single “Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl” and the album “Indoor Fireworks”. The line-up changed in 1983, with Odlum and Thomas replaced by drummer Alan Wills, guitarist Paul Cavanagh and keyboard player Peter Baker, a configuration that recorded the mini-album “Clear!”. Brass player Phil Lucking joined in 1984, ahead of the album “In Evil Hour”, part-produced by Television’s Tom Verlaine. The Room split in 1985; Jackson and Stringer went on to form Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys.
The Room reunited in 2023, releasing the album “Restless Fate” via 9×9 Records that January, followed by the concept album “The Telling” in 2024. The current line-up of Jackson, Stringer, Darren Brown, Ethan Kyme and Clive Thomas, with Tom McCabe on drums for select tracks, now returns with “Doom Pop!”, due September 4, 2026, which includes the re-recorded “Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl” alongside new material.
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