Friday 11 September 2009

"The Worlds Loudest Skiffle Group"

My apologies for the lack of penned material of late. I haven’t given up it is just that we have kind of got into a groove with our performing and as such nothing of remarkable interest has happened that would ensure inclusion in this hallowed blog.

That being said, I was head hunted by another band. In fact not just any band, it was a group of some of the most accomplished musicians in Bristol. Now believe me, that is good for the old ego.

They didn’t intend to take me permanently away from my beloved Mudheads. They just wanted to ‘borrow’ me from time to time.

It all sounded rather good until I enquired as to what time commitment being ‘borrowed’ actually meant. It would have in reality resulted in a gig a month and with a rehearsal every other week.

Now anybody who knows me will lament that I will moan, at length about the lack of hours in the day. Aaron has completely banned me from uttering the statement “I didn’t have the time”.

So it would have been sheer stupidity to take on another commitment, no matter how tempting. So I had to sadly and somewhat reluctantly decline the offer. I hope that the other two Mudheads appreciate the sacrifice I have made for them.

On a different note, having had my ego suitably crushed by the lack of numbers at our last ‘serious’ gig I have gone and put my head well and truly in the lions mouth again.

One of my favourite bands of the last couple of decades was ‘The Gutter Brothers’. Described by Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden as “The loudest skiffle group in history”, the GB’s started life successfully busking in Covent Garden.

When I say successfully, they could clear up to £1,000 on a Saturday performing to the tourists in the London market. Now that is not small change.

They later moved from pure skiffle to a more rock based sound, and replaced their Tea chest bass with an electric bass.

They were signed to Elvis Costello’s Demon Records where they went on to record the sound track to ‘Gone to the Dogs’ with Harry Enfield, Warren Clarke, Alison Steadman and the now internationally famous Jim Broadbent.

They also recorded the sound track and theme song for the ‘Only Fools & Horses’ Christmas Special ‘Miami Twice’

They toured with the likes of Blondie and Dr Feelgood among many others and they general wrote and produced catchy and exciting songs.

I first got to know them through their Bass player Steve Turner and their producer Jez Coad (who was my best man when I got married).

Any way they had a real influence on me and I was inspired by (stole) many of their songs whilst I was writing for Mudheads Monkey.

I was gutted when they closed that chapter on their lives back in 1998.

However, they are back and we are playing with them….how cool is that!

So of course, the Rock God goes and opens his mouth when he hears that they are on a short tour and states…”If you come to Bristol and we support you, I will promote the gig”.

And that is what is happening…and talk about hard work.

I have written to every radio and TV station in the southwest. Magazines, newspapers and websites. You name it I have stuck a flyer on it and I will continue to do so right up until the date itself.

However, if this gig bombs…then my guitar goes off of the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

We shall se what we shall see.

Please be there!!!! I love my guitar and I don’t want to see if falling away from Brunel’s finest piece of work.