DOMINO BONES WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE
ON VINYL FROM THE CAVERN CLUB WEBSITE
21st January 2025 saw supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos forced to cancel a performance in the heart of Soho, with Happy Mondays and Oasis stars just hours from taking the stage. Drummer Zak Starkey has a blood clot in his right leg and, following tests, doctors have advised him to rest and take blood thinners for two weeks.
The performance at Karma Sanctum Soho was due to take place just days after the vinyl release of ‘Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)’, the new psychedelic single, for which Noel Gallagher joined the group, and two bombastic shows at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. Celebrities, scenesters and journalists still poured into the London venue to support the unique band of UK music legends, despite a “devastated” Zak being forced to cancel the performance.
Mantra of the Cosmos is made up of some of British music’s true mavericks. Shaun Ryder takes on lead vocal duties, with Happy Mondays bandmate Bez on percussion. The group boasts Andy Bell of Ride, Oasis and Hurricane #1 on guitar and is the brainchild of drummer extraordinaire Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr. Starkey has a portfolio boasting stints in The Who, Oasis, Johnny Marr and the Healers and The Lightning Seeds, as well as with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.
Shaun and Bez said the health of bandleader Zak is the most important thing and wished him a swift recovery. Shaun Ryder joked to guests at Karma Sanctum Soho: “As soon as I get out of here I’m going to take some tights to get on Zak’s legs.”
Before a video of the Cavern performance was shown, Bez said: “First of all can I say how special it was to play the Cavern with Zak Starkey. He’s never been to the Cavern before and it felt special…It was better than anything I ever imagined in my life. I couldn’t believe how good it was.
“To play there…I had to show off right at the end: ‘His f***ing dad’s Ringo Starr! Know what I mean? We felt like the Beatles – well I did for a little moment!”
Among the guests at Karma Sanctum were British pop-rock superstar YUNGBLUD, who last month announced a second year of his festival Bludfest.
A Mantra of the Cosmos album is in the works and ‘Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)’ is the band’s latest release following the heady, driving singles ‘Gorilla Guerilla’ and ‘X (Wot You Sayin?)’ in 2023, a year which also saw the band make their Glastonbury Festival debut as a headline act on the Glade stage. The single was released exclusively on red or blue vinyl, via the Cavern Club Store.
Starkey describes the song as “Free Bird for Mods“, with a Noel Gallagher chorus vocal, around which Starkey built the track, playing drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. Gallagher sings the chorus and Ryder the verses, while Bell adds an extended solo. The song title is the name of Bez’s first band.
Speaking about Domino Bones, Starkey said: “It’s not every day that the greatest songwriter of my generation – not to mention Shaun, the greatest beat poet of our times – sends a tune to me and I was in a daze for a bit cos it’s not something you want to f*** up! It came together great – everyone digs it!
“Noel loves Shaun. He texted me to say ‘Do you know what you’ve got? The British Bob Dylan’ – and he’s not f***ing about because now I’ve witnessed what Shaun does. Noel calls him the ‘king of lyrics’.”
Noel Gallagher says of the band: “Mantra Of The Cosmos is like Dylan, Dali and Ginsberg on a rocketship to the moon to have it with the Clangers.”
