To anyone who knows Leicester, “Fairytale Of New Walk” is an inspired title - and a neat little tune. It tells the tale of a bloke, his girlfriend, their phone calls. All set to a strong, semi-skanking backing. The Dandilions are the latest of the wave of bands coming from what used to be known as “middle England”. We call it inspired - with the swagger and the style to match. They are: Sam Read - guitar and vocals. Oli Bohm - guitar and vocals. Gil Guedes - bass. Dan Cassidy - drums. The band have been together since Sam and Oli saw Gil playing bass on the streets of Highfields to an old Bob Marley song. They asked him to join their band. The rest is history. The aforementioned tune used to be on their profile at http://www.myspace.com/thedandilionsband , as did their spot on cover of The Specials' “Little Bitch”.
depth of their material
The Ordinary Boys did a solid version a couple of years back and The Dandilions follow suit with style. It's a class performance with a refreshing higher emphasis on the skank than the punk. Sums up the idea well. Its indicative of the depth of their material that they can take down tunes such as those and add more of such quality. Now you'll hear four tunes. The reggae vibes of “Luxembourg To Cologne”, the straight ahead feel of “Blowin ‘O‘s“, complete with the hookline of their new ep “We‘ll meet you there“, the haunting dub of “Rastaman Remix” (turn it UP and get skanking!!) and the neat tale of “The Way He Fell“ - “I don‘t wanna see you face no more“ - a day in the life set to a quality dose of punky reggae party.
sporting Ben Shermans
The Dandilions effectively fuse that dynamic hybrid of natty dread and punk rock with a slice of modernist attitude thrown into the mix. It could be The Clash - circa 1977 or course - mixed by Lee Perry, sporting Ben Shermans. Or something like that. But not quite - The Dandilions have their own sound, and one that any discerning groove and style afficionado has to become acquainted with. They're one of the key bands coming through from the East Midlands right now . But they'll be out there delivering their infectious rhythms to the waiting and expectant world before long. Check them out. You'll be glad you did. Rob Massey