Back in the ‘90s, the Carte Blanche Music team were a radio active lot. Like we do on this blog, we only featured our favourite songs in our shows, trying to get our enthusiasm across to our listeners. Those tunes often sounded like Giant Killers do. Yet, while that band existed shortly halfway said decennium, we have missed them completely. Apparently, we didn’t attend the Blur, Dr. Robert (of Blow Monkeys fame) or Nick Heyward concerts they opened for, nor did we see their TV appearances at that time. Also, the two singles they released on the legendary MCA label went by unnoticed by us.

In 1995 and 1996 the band recorded a bunch of songs that were meant to be released as Giant Killers’ debut album. But things don’t always go as intended and the album never came out. Only almost 30 years later, band members Jamie Wortley (guitar, keys, lead vocals) and Michael Brown (bass, keys, brass, vocals) regained the rights to their music. On 26 January 2024, they finally released their album Songs For The Small Places. It included some original songs from their catalogue and reworked and re-recorded versions of the early singles. The duo did a brilliant job trying to capture and recreate the ‘90s sound for the reworked stuff.

Now, one of the album highlights, One For Georgie, is Giant Killers’ new single. It has the same drive and horns as one of our absolute ‘90s favourites, The Boo Radleys’ Wake Up Boo, while the first lines also echo our beloved Tanita Tikaram’s Good Tradition.

The band say about their new single: “One For Georgie deals with the fleeting and ephemeral nature of greatness and does so in the persona of George Best – the Manchester Utd poster boy and legend of the mid ‘60s and ‘70s who passed away 20 years ago this year. The song is a tribute to the aspirational qualities needed to achieve excellence in any endeavour but also warns against the worship of greatness for its own sake – your heroes will always let you down!”

This week, it’s the ‘90s all over again at Carte Blanche Music, for One For Georgie by Giant Killers is our new Wildcard. It will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.

More Giant Killers @ Carte Blanche Music

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In the Wildcards 2025 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.

Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.