Inspired by Russ L (who was, in turn, inspired by this over at the Blue Whale Blog…which I missed ‘cos I’m a bit crap) I’ve compiled a list of my 10 favourite
They have to be there and they have to be at the top. This is the band (not just 'local' but from anywhere) that I’ve seen most in my life, stretching back to something like 2002 (I think). Combining the wit and wonder of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band with a little ska, jazz, lounge, exotica, classic pop and a healthy dose of cynicism about the modern world we all find ourselves stuck in they are, quite simply, a national treasure.
(2) Kate Goes
The yang to Misty’s ying, Kate Goes is fronted by…er Kate…and each gig follows a different theme with the band dressing up accordingly. Twee pop at it’s very finest, just check out their track Heartbeat and prepare to fall in love forever.
(3) Reverie Strings (aka Reverie)
Singer Ian Darby plus a moveable feast of other musicians play lush orchestral pop. Seemingly on a bit of a live hiatus at the moment.
(4) Gemma Quarterman
(5) King Adora / The High Society
Glam, bam, thank you mam…King Adora were genuine gutter glam punk superstars for a while (making it onto the front cover of Melody Maker - RIP - I believe) before morphing into the equally compelling High Society. A reunion of the former band is a-happening this April...eye liner optional.
(6) The Destroyers
Balkan gypsy madness with a cast of thousands buzzing around the truly inspirational figure of Mr Paul Murphy.
(7) I Thee Lothario
Power pomp pop a doodle dandy the likes of which you’ve not seen or heard since the glory days of the 80’s.
(9) The Black & Reds
The guy who drums in this band is AWESOME (nice tats too). Raw high octane rock n’roll of the highest order…which leads us neatly on to the next couple of bands…
(10) Coptor / The Big Bang
I couldn’t leave either band out so I’ve cheated and lumped ‘em together (they often played on the same bill, so that’s allowed right?). The Coptor line up includes robot (as you do) and a bloke who sounds like a mad preacher. The Big Bang (who I fear have split up) are/were a three piece who wouldn’t have sounded out of place at some really cool 60’s garage party. Hell yeah!
Shame you missed out mate, but thanks for the plug any way.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices there!
Cheers,
Andy
My pleasure Andy. Looking forward to the seeing the final results. My money's on Misty's for the top slot.
ReplyDeleteThere's far too many to include but 3 of my faves are The Palantines, The Ripps & The Bourgeois 4.
ReplyDeleteLady B x
I only excluded The Ripps 'cos they're from Cov. The B4 and The Palantines should be in there though...check out the Blue Whale Blog's top 100 (from 100 - 11).
ReplyDelete