I’ve done a few things over the years that have absolutely terrified me, like asking a good friend of mine if she wanted to be more than that, in a bar full of drunken friends all cheering and jeering me on. After doing that I reckon I could face down a hungry lion with a pork chop hanging round my neck (do lions eat pork??) she said yes and we’re still together, phew!! Writing my car off in a nine car pileup on the A1 on the way to a gig was also a bit of a brown trouser moment. But there is one thing that stands out above everything else and it’s something that still strikes terror in to the pit of my stomach even now, no it’s not my irrational fear of clowns, but DIY. Two years ago we (my good lady and I) bought a new house, and of course the time came to hang curtains, mirrors and pictures. It fell to me to do this and standing in front of a beautifully plastered and painted wall with a seldom used power tool knowing that it’s down to you to drill that hole and either bugger it up partially or completely can make your hand shake, mouth dry and wonder where the yellow pages are. Needless to say DIY isn’t my strongest point.
Now last week here at Backseat Mafia we were sent a link to a You Tube video from a Band called “From the Sticks” a four piece from Peterborough who claimed that this video had been homemade by one of the band members from bits of string, cotton wool and pretty much anything he could get his hands on, peaked my interest. So off I popped to you tube to give this video a look and more importantly listen to the track.
“DMT” is the song in question, the opening bars remind me of Nizlopi’s JCB song on speed. It soon morphs into The Kooks crossed with just a smidgeon of “Sweet Child O Mine” It’s a track that grows on you with its mix of innocence and philosophy. In the words of the band “the idea that we’re connected to all living things, when we die there is a chemical that releases giving us the experiences of ‘ seeing god ‘ or a ‘white light ‘ but did you know that even a blade of grass carries this? Does a blade of grass have a soul? Does it dream?”
Deep stuff fellas, there must be plenty out of the box thinking going off in the Fens just outside of Peterborough. Formed back in May of 2011 the band is made up by
Ricky Butcher (Vocals)
Tom Ellingworth (Guitar)
Nick Thompson-Bell (Bass)
Adam Mansfield (Drums)
The boys have a few more tracks on their SoundCloud and Facebook pages, the stand out for me being “Watch Me”, another Kooks like track that starts off with some really dirty slap bass brilliantly funky and worth a listen. No EP as yet from the boys in Peterborough but I can imagine it will only be a matter of time. Check them out its fresh and different and definitely worth a go.
And the video I hear you ask? It definitely suits the song and makes you smile (well it did me anyway) and if his DIY skills are half as good as his stop frame animation ones there’s some work for him here at Sykes towers.
Sykes.
