Nearly 35 years after Joanna's unreleased debut, a quarter-inch reel tape surfaced in a Manchester loft during lockdown, revealing eight tracks that would become the album Hello Flower.

The four members charted separate paths in music and other fields, with post-band activities including tours with Jarvis Cocker and collaborations with acts like SuperGiant.

Joanna built buzz as the most popular band without a record out, driven by standout live shows and media attention, including an interview on Kiss FM and support slots for notable peers of Shack and the Happy Mondays.

The reunion emerged as a natural outgrowth of renewed interest and chance, with optimism about how far they can go with the new release.

The band recorded an unreleased debut at Pentagon Studios, but internal decisions and waning label interest led to their dissolution after a London show failed to secure label backing.

A Northern indie band named Joanna formed in the late 1980s, featuring Neil Holliday, Terry Lloyd, Tyrone Holt, and Carl Alty, gaining early momentum in Manchester amid the Madchester scene.

The recovered tapes were mastered and pressed on vinyl, with recognition that the songs still sound fresh and could sit alongside contemporaries like the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses.

Hello Flower, Joanna’s long-lost debut, is due for release in December, framed as a Bohemian time capsule of Northern music heritage; a release show is set for Low Four Studio in Deansgate on December 13, with additional performances eyed for the following year.