“Carnival” was first released in September 2005, 25 years into New Model Army’s career. “In the long history of New Model Army, it is the albums made between 2000-2009 that are usually the least feted.”, says band leader Justin Sullivan. “It was a strange period for us. Partly we were finding our feet after the departure (and later passing) of Robert (Heaton) and still absorbing the lessons of the long, costly, and less than satisfying ‘Strange Brotherhood’ era of the mid ‘90s.