The UK is home to the punk rock styles of the charismatic and edgy group Healthy Junkies. Known for their dynamic sound that blends glimmers of grunge, new wave, garage rock, and goth, creating a sound like no other, they're back with the latest sonic and visual release of "These Boots Are Made for Walking."
The amplified rendition of this record comes to us on a sizzling platter that's served firsthand through our speakers. Layered with chugging guitar riffs, a resonant bass line that keeps the tightly knit percussion company, and an unkempt energy that propels this song beyond what we could expect, Healthy Junkies give us something we didn't think we could experience with this sultry, Nancy Sinatra original.
A fuzzy ambiance keeps "These Boots Are Made for Walking" just out of reach, all while the majority of the components smack you in the face as they ooze a boisterous attitude that doesn't entirely lose the original's alluring way about it. Nina Courson's unapologetic performance adapts the classic tenors in an unruly way that further intensifies the unruffled and carefree energy the lyrics of this song hold. Guitarist and vocalist Phil Honey-Jones says, "Nina heard the Nancy Sinatra version of, "These Boots Were Made for Walking" in a movie called Now and Then, when she was 13. The song proclaimed itself into her psyche." This sounds like a great reason to breathe life back into it despite the questionable integrity this song once held over the band.
"When we first introduced the song into the Healthy Junkies live set, it almost broke up the band at the time. This was the original Healthy Junkies lineup in 2014. But, Nina persevered and kept the song in the live show until finally recording it in 2018, with myself on guitars and backing vocals, Dave Whitmore on bass, and Tony Alda on drums." We're glad this song became what it is today with Healthy Junkies at the helm of this nostalgic yet reinvented execution of an old-school classic.
Get your boots ready and start dancing to this reimagined rock n roll favorite, "These Boots Are Made For Walking."
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Healthy Junkies! To finally hear this long-awaited record is such a treat. From the song itself to the music video, you place such a bold twist on this version of the song. How did you make it sound authentic while maintaining the integrity that Nancy Sinatra placed into it back in 1966?
Thank you for your kind words, Gina. We chose a great song in the first place and simply played it in our style. Nina has a special connection to it from when she first heard it in a film in France as a teenager. Playing it live a few times before we recorded it also helped us form the dynamics in our version of this iconic tune.
This song has caused quite a stir among all of you since it was introduced at the moment of release. What was the reason for this, and did it almost bring down Healthy Junkies at the time?
We started playing "Boots" with our original lineup in 2013. There were already disputes in the band as regards what direction we should be taking musically between band members. The drummer and bass player wanted to go down more of a hardcore route, whereas Nina and I wanted to hold onto our pop sensibility and mix that up with some heavier music. Boots was almost the final straw for the rhythm section, and shortly after introducing the song into our live set, the band split.
Between creating originals that blend pieces of you all into a new innovative creation and adapting to covers that show your take on someone's artistic expedition, what similarities and differences do you find come with the creative process approaching each style of work?
We do not tend to stick to one particular style or another, so some songs will sound more punk, whereas others might be more pop, new wave, grunge, psychedelic or goth. Nowadays, it is more a question of if jam something together, whether it feels good or not. We try not to think about it too much. Some ideas work better, but we persevere and see where it takes us. We make it up as we go along. The new album will feature songs born out of jams in the studio as a band. Nina had recorded a bunch of jams on her phone from back in 2020 during lockdown. We listened back to them, then structured them, wrote the words in full, demo-d them at home before relearning them as a band and then rerecording them in a different studio. It sounds long-winded, probably because it is. But it is fun and fulfilling nevertheless.
What has 2023 brought for Healthy Junkies this far? Do you find that you're setting out to do all you've anticipated at the halfway point into the year? Anything you're looking forward to still achieving?
We have played many gigs and some festivals already this year. We just returned from Supporting punk legends GBH in Scotland and Newcastle yesterday. We are looking forward to playing the mighty Rebellion punk festival in Blackpool on a big stage on August 3rd then we are off to Europe in October to play in France and the Netherlands. While this happens, we have been writing and recording new songs for our next album. We are releasing a new single called Lion in a Circus soon and have made a video involving Nina as a lion fighting off a lion tamer with a whip inside a large cage. The single has 4 B sides, so it is an EP. This will be our next release and will be available to buy as a CD on our website on August 1st. We are also hosting our 3-day festival on September 1,2 and 3 in London, comprising 23 acts, including Healthy Junkies. This festival is in its 7th year and is called Punk and Roll Rendezvous.
How does it feel to have this song out to the public finally? What does this mean for the creative direction of Healthy Junkies moving forward?
It feels great to have the song out with a video finally; It has been a long time coming. It does not change anything regarding what direction we are going in musically but seeing as it is getting a lot of interest in the USA, I hope it will hasten our long-awaited (us) return to the States. So a geographical change may be in order soon.