In a year that's brought (or promises) new releases from many of my favourite artists - including Morrissey, Bruce Springsteen, Jarvis Cocker, Eels, Art Brut, the Handsome Family, and the Manics - what's the one record I've been most looking forward to?
I've written before about my hero worship of local poetry legend Simon Armitage. For a while it looked like we might be moving to his village, which would have meant me spending most nights stalking the highways and byways in hopes of an accidental meeting... but in the end, it's to Simon's benefit that we ended up settling in Meltham rather than Marsden.
The Scaremongers is Simon's band, the realisation of a lifelong dream with his old pal, guitarist Craig Smith. They describe their sound as “kitchen-sink snow-shaker pop-rock”, and anyone who's familiar with Simon's poetry will be unsurprised to learn that his lyrics are a mix of Jarvis Cocker, Morrissey, Paul Heaton and Alan Bennett - yet also uniquely Armitage.
The band's first release, You Can Do Nothing Wrong In My Eyes, came out last April. It was soon followed by the jealous husband rant of Less Is More and the wonderfully romantic Cardigan Girl, not to mention the wedding disco lament Nodding Dog... and now, finally, the debut album Born In A Barn, which can be bought or downloaded via links at the Scaremongers website.
Despite the absence of classic b-sides Modesty & Grace and If You Ever Leave Me), the album never sets a foot wrong. New favourites include the student-baiting Grouse Beaters Boys' Club...
You're back from doing your degree
And all the regulars agree
You're someone different
We're in the snug room of the Swan
You're talking Freud and going on
About some Russian dissident
Your girlfriend's training as a vet
She's smoking Gauloise cigarettes
And quoting TS Eliot
She did her gap year in New York
She simplifies things when she talks
Like I'm the village idiot
...and the bitter denial of From The Shorelines Of Venus, which includes such Morrissey-esque delights as these...
At the height of the season
In a laughable blouse
You came with a suitcase
And laughed at my house
They claim that they've seen me
They've heard from their spies
They're nothing but bad-mouthing, supergrass, ear-wigging, tongue-wagging, planting the Judas kiss,
Come here to blame me and bleed me
With leeches and lies
Yes, they're a local band, and local people* will appreciate mentions of Castle Hill (in Derailleur) and ...Nothing Wrong's chorus of "Lancashire is over the hill", but despite their boast of representing The Sound of Mature Huddersfield, they're no more insular than the Smiths' "Manchester, so much to answer for" or Pulp's celebration of Sheffield: Sex City. I'm certain that anyone who enjoys the sardonic Northern tones of Jarv or Moz will fall in love with this band just as much as I have. Even better, I'll be catching them live soon. More power to Armitage and Smith - roll on the difficult second album, lads.
(*That reference is particularly apt as the exterior scenes from The League Of Gentleman's Local Shop were filmed on the hills above Armitage's home.)
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9 rants and reactions:
I stood next to the man himself recently at the marsden cuckoo festival. He was with someone who was being a bit of a prick and being very scathing about the efforts of local kids in a rather lackluster procession.
Thankfully the man himself was quiet and so i wasn't forced to lable him a prick too.
Oh dear - I was only going to say 'I love Simon Armitage too' but now I've read Dan's comment and am forced to wonder, if you remain silent while your associate is being a prick, does that make you a bit of a prick as well?
I really hope not.
Been to Lastfm to have a listen now. Particularly like 'Less Is More'. Very Cinerama.
Dan - maybe the kids ought to have made more of an effort? ;-)
Beth - as a poet, you're paid to observe - and comment later. Maybe his next poem will be called "The kids were rubbish, but you didn't have to say so."
Then again, as someone who frequently grumbles about the behaviour and attitudes of children... Sorry Dan, I guess that labels me as a bit of a prick too, eh?
He wasn't being a prick about the kids behavior, he was just implying that the whole thing was pathetic and they were too sophisticated for such things.
Those kids were probably very proud of the wheelbarrows they had decorated and were pushing through the streets.
One even had two dogs in it. No one can say that's pathetic surely!
Oh and Beth, try spotify.com It's far better than last fm in that you can choose exactly which tracks you want to hear.
Thanks Dan, I think any place that can muster up any sort of procession these days should be applauded. The ones I used to take part in as a kid were always headed by a couple of dozen floats before you even *got* to the brass band/ decorated bikes/wheelbarrows/people on foot...them were the days!
I did have a look at Spotify, but couldn't find any scaremongers on there - am I speeling it wrong or something? (It wouldn't be the first time...)
Rol - I hope you're right! I look forward to that poem.
Rol - If you've not heard the new Jarvis, it's brilliant. The Steve Albini production takes things to a new level. It's a must.
I've got it... not had chance to listen to it yet. Heard most of the songs live late last year though and I was excited then.
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