One of the very early Welsh Wednesday posts featured a track from the Darling Buds' last album. 80 posts in the series later, I'm returning to them. Here's the third single from their debut album, a track that hinted at the more psychedelic direction the band would take on their next record 'Crawdaddy'. Let's Go Round There has long been one of my top three Darling Buds songs. I was thrilled when they (or the current line-up, at least) played it when I saw them last year.
MrsRobster reckons Lets Go Round There sounds like it could have been made in 2016. She's not wrong, its sound is very contemporary. There's quite a bit of music around right now that sounds not unlike this. Psyche is very much 'the thing' at the moment, so perhaps it's time to dig out that second Darling Buds record.
They still play gigs every so often, but there's no new material. A shame perhaps, but then their small back catalogue is of such high quality, you can understand if they don't feel they could quite match it. They recently played Manchester's old-school indie festival Gigantic, and in November they'll be playing the entire 'Pop Said...' album live in Cardiff. Hmm... reckon that's another show to add to the list...
As well as the gigs, these days Andrea runs a children's theatre school in locations across South Wales. The other members from this original line-up have become a dietician, a recording studio engineer and a pub and hotel manager.
I never really liked the video. It's clear the record company had plans for Andrea. She looks like she should be in a Stock, Aitken & Waterman video a la Kylie and Sonia. Having said that, I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking she looks a dead ringer for Tanya Donelly here... This is certainly a good example of the video not suiting the song.
#9: The Darling Buds Le Pub, Newport - 4th October, 2015 ('We Shall Overcome' anti-austerity benefit) Support: Helen Love, Thee Faction, Burning Ferns
The Tory scum government we've been lumbered with seems intent on running those of us who are not blessed with ridiculous wealth and power into the ground. They do not give a shit. Seriously. That is their mandate and by god they're doing everything they can to see it through. Unsurprisingly, whenever the Tory scum is in power, a wave of rebellion seems to follow. People are actually getting off their arses and trying to make a difference. Instead of blaming the Left and immigrants, we are actually intelligent enough to see what's happening.
We Shall Overcome is a movement aimed at raising awareness of poverty, homelessness and the other symptoms of the cruel austerity measures Cameron and his public school knobhead mates have forced upon us. The first weekend of October saw a host of events across the UK which not only attempted to make people aware of what's happening, but also try to help, in some small way, those in need. Newport's Le Pub hosted four days of music and literary shows. Tickets were cheap, but donations of cash, food and other essentials were encouraged. MrsRobster and I made it to the final night which had a bill I just couldn't resist: the Darling Buds AND Helen Love? Together? No-brainer.
The show opened with an unbilled act who failed to set the place alight. However, Newport's Burning Ferns followed and that's when things picked up. Shimmering power-pop in the traditions of Big Star and Teenage Fanclub. Now as you might have guessed, I was born and raised a Socialist; red blood flows through my veins. On the strength of this alone, Thee Faction from Reigate in Surrey would have got a thumbs up from me. However, the fact that they were quite frankly brilliant simply added to the occasion. Imagine, if you will, a nine-piece rhythm & blues outfit with an exuberant frontman, blasting out top-notch Socialist anthems with passion and humour; imagine they sound like a cross between early Dexy's, Dr. Feelgood and Chumbawamba; imagine their tunes being punchy, catchy and full of energy. That's Thee Faction. I love the fact their brass section call themselves Brass Kapital, too! MrsRobster has already scoured YouTube to find out more. They consider Le Pub "a home from home" so we'll be looking out for their next visit.
Helen Love was playing her only gig of 2015. I'd never seen her before but expected something fun and high-spirited. It didn't really happen. For starters, Helen doesn't look like a pop star. She looked like a housewife who'd got lost whilst doing the school run. She stood in the same spot for most of the show, swigging from a bottle of water, never once interacting with the audience, not even to say hello or goodnight. Her set was rammed with old faves though - Yeah Yeah We're Helen Love, Joey Ramoney, Girl About Town... all present and correct. A few excitable middle-aged fans at the front jumped about a bit, but for me it soon became a little boring. A rousing rendition of Does Your Heart Go Boom at the finale almost put Helen in danger of actually moving and showing a bit of vigour, but aside from that it was a tad frustrating. MrsRobster wasn't impressed either: "How many times can you bloody mention the Ramones?" was her parting shot.
The Darling Buds bear little resemblance to the band who lit up the indie scene in the late 80s/early 90s, with only singer Andrea Lewis remaining from the original line-up, though various other former members do make up the numbers. My spirits were lifted when Shame On You was blurted out right from the off. From that point on we got a spot-on run through of the band's back catalogue, from the early pop of If I Said and Hit The Ground, through the psychedelia-tinged second album and the sparkling, but sadly overlooked, final attempt at stardom that was 'Erotica'. The highlight was the back-to-back triple whammy of Sure Thing, Tiny Machine and Let's Go Round There, though there were also a couple of surprises in the form of Honeysuckle and Big Head.
The cause was a worthy one and the music was generally top-notch. All that for a fiver and a few tins of food? Thatcher will be spinning in her grave. Good!
Returning to Newport for this week's post. Well, sort of. It's actually Caerleon[1], a town just a few miles north of Newport and reputedly where the legend of King Arthur was based. It was also once an important Roman city with an impressive amphitheatre which remains a tourist attraction to this day. Caerleon was also where the Darling Buds were from.
Andrea Lewis and boyfriend Harley Farr formed the Darling Buds in 1986. John Peel (who else?) championed their debut single and the band signed to Epic in 1988 with whom they released three albums. Chart success was sparse to say the least, with only one single - Hit The Ground from the debut album 'Pop Said...' - troubling the Top 40. They were lumped by the ever-predictable and lazy music press in with the 'Blonde' movement - bands featuring a blonde-haired female singer and dark-haired male musicians - along with the Primitives and Transvision Vamp. Each subsequent album release was met with less and less critical and commercial acclaim, which is a particular shame as they actually got better as they went.
Andrea Lewis in 2014
In 1992 the band released what was to be their final album 'Erotica' which contained the single Sure Thing. By now their sound was louder with punchier and slightly psychedelic guitars. 'Erotica' made number one in the UK album charts that year - but it wasn't the Darling Buds record. No, someone called Madonna had the cheek to release an album with the same name just a couple of months after Andrea and the boys and took all the glory! The Darling Buds' 'Erotica' was practically ignored.
Disillusioned, the Darling Buds split in 1993. They have reformed on a couple of very brief occasions (without Harley Farr), the most recent being just last month at the Indie Daze festival in London[2].
Sure Thing is one of those great lost singles. I debated with myself which track to go for as I like most of the Darling Buds' catalogue, but this one edged it on the day. May well feature another of their songs before this series is out.
