Is it English Rock your after, with Stompming Bass, Haunting Vocals( can you hear Billy Bragg/and The Smiths in there ??.The Guitars Crash,like their Hero's did years before, it's a shot of Pure Pop..The British New Guitar Movement Starts HERE..

The Ordinary Boys - the rebirth of the modernist British groove
Words - Rob Massey

 

the demise of Britpop

It started in a Virgin listening post in Spring 2004. It wasn’t expected. The music scene had been bland for a long time, since the demise of Britpop sometime around 1997/98. I put the headphones on and waited. I had heard of the Ordinary Boys and had planned to check them out. But I wasn’t expecting this no nonsense guitar fuelled blast - to drag the British music scene kicking and screaming into the naughties. But that was what I got. The debut single “Maybe Someday”.

parkas and harringtons

Subsequent sightings were equally as promising. The next single “Week In Week Out” and tv appearances. They had the look - a welcome return to parkas and harringtons - a charismatic singer, great songs. A third single “Talk Talk Talk” confirmed the potential and then came a seminal album “Over The Counter Culture”.

The Ordinary Boys are:
Preston - vocals/guitar
William J Brown - vocals/guitar
James Gregory - bass
From January 2005 - Simon Goldring - drums. Before that, Charles Stanley.
Hailing from Worthing, near Brighton, they started playing together in their early teens. With influences ranging from Weller to 2-tone, via Morrissey (they took their name from one of his tunes) and northern soul, they have been described as “The Jam if they had grown up listening to The Smiths”. It is apt. With perhaps one exception, there had not been a band with this style and swagger for a long time.

British sound

For me, they re-invigorated a very British sound. Brought it back to life. Revived it. They are as dynamic live as The Clash and The Jam at their peak. Below, starting with the earliest, are a series of pieces which I wrote in the day or so after gigs in Nottingham on each of their tours starting in early Summer 2004. There is also a review of their album.

The pieces start with their gig at Nottingham Social in June 2004. “The most mental gig we ever played”, as Preston said recently. It has gone down with the band as “the upstairs gig”. It was a privilege to have been there…….

Nottingham Social 3 June 2004

The expectation has been growing. Since that moment at the Virgin listening post a few months back, when a first blast of “Maybe Someday” showed that young Brits could play modish punk rock in 2004 as well as anyone ever could, you have been waiting for the chance to see The Ordinary Boys.

Another single and a stunning performance on Jools Holland later, the time has come. Now you’re standing in the crowd at the Social, decked out in your Fred Perry, putting your ice cold bottle of Becks to your lips, waiting for the moment. The mood is alive as you watch the supports. Not bad at all, especially The Kaiser Chiefs. But not what you’re here for.

A little after ten you get what you want. Preston and the gang come onstage to a rapturous reception. “Hello, we’re the Ordinary Boys”, he yells into the mike and they launch into the title tune from the forthcoming album “Over the Counter Culture”. Its full on. The hard edged Jam-esque sound is belted out for all its worth and continues into the familiar second classic single “Week in Week out”.

The audience are ecstatic. There’s a genuine mood of craziness amongst Preston’s “little hooligans” as they jump and push and pogo around the dancefloor. You’re with them, going for it in a way you haven’t done for years. Not since the heady Britpop days at least.

They blast through their set, a selection of tunes which you can’t wait to get your grubby paws on when they’re released on 5 July. The classic cover you’ve heard about, The Special’s “Little Bitch” which gets the crowd skanking. “Seaside”, a melody and lyric that you know is so special, even though it’s the first time you’ve heard it. “In awe of the awful” which you picked up on the NME freebie in the Winter. “Talk Talk Talk” the next single.

You focus on the stage, arm in the air, beer flying across the dancefloor. Preston’s one top boy, neat mod haircut and Ben Sherman, belting his guitar and putting his heart and soul into the delivery. William’s a perfect guitarist, reminiscent of a young Mick Jones, getting just the right tone to carry a top tune into an even more brilliant one. James and Charlie the ideal rhythm section. They ooze razor sharp attitude, linked with sartorial perfection. With one or two obvious exceptions, a band like this has been a long time coming.

There’s the inevitable crowd surfing. Preston – tongue firmly in cheek- tells you all to calm it down, “behave grown up”, or words to that effect. “Especially to this one. This is called “Maybe Someday””. And with that its sheer madness. Even Preston gets involved in the crowd surfing, guitar held tight, crowd mental.

But soon its all over. William finishes it off with a drawn out hammering of the guitar strings, standing iconically next to a speaker the feedback buzzing. He takes off his guitar and props it against the speaker and it starts to scream Then he leaves the stage. Brilliantly.

You stand there with a grin on your face as “My Generation” blasts out. You know you’ve just witnessed something special. A band you can be inspired, excited and moved by, taking you away from the mundanities of life, into a world where you can dream again, believe anything can be real. A fellow fan walks past. His grin is as big as yours. “Just like ‘79”, he says. “Too right”, you tell him.

“Waiting for some inspiration”. You found it.

Postscript 5 July - Over The Counter Culture
You’re up early. Not usual for you. But there are things to do. You’re in FOPP when it opens at 9.30, taking your copy of “Over The Counter Culture” off the shelf. You make sure it includes the bonus live ep and hand over your ten pound note.

You step out into the bright sunshine and take your Walkman out of your bag. Stick in the cd proper and you’re away. The bright chords of the title track come through the headphones. Preston starts to sing and it strikes a note of immediate recognition from the gig. And, yes, it sounds as good as you remember, the strong guitar sound, embellished on the studio version by horns.

You find a café and it’s a strong coffee. You move into the track two, “The List Goes On”, which has the clearest Smiths feel of anything on the record. Then it’s the two last classic singles “Week In Week Out “ and “Talk Talk Talk”. One day soon you’ll listen to the album in its entirety, allow the singles to settle into their natural place among the rest of the tunes. But for now you find yourself flicking forward to the new stuff. “Little Bitch”, the Specials cover that went down so well at the gig cuts it just as well on record. The spiky “Settle Down” is followed by “Weekend Revolution”, one of the highlights.

You sip your coffee and watch the passers by. Off to work, to college, shopping. Tomorrow morning you’ll be joining them. But today you’ve taken time out, found a space to listen and digest and get some inspiration. You flick by “Maybe Someday” – still your favourite Ordinary Boys song but it can wait – to the acoustic guitar of the more laid back “Just a Song”. The three final tunes are all classic - the sublime “Seaside”, which is just as strong as you felt it was live, the human misery of relationship gone sour in “In Awe of the Awful” and “Robots and Monkeys”, which reminds you of early Teardrop Explodes. And then its over.

These songs chronicle normal life and the characters you meet in the course of it. The grimness, the wackiness and the unsatisfactory nature of the brave new dot com culture. And they do so with a poise and confidence that you thought had vanished from British music forever. Any criticisms? Just one. The b side of “Talk Talk Talk”, “Little Bubble” should be on it. But you forget that one concern. Is it a great album? Does it come up to expectations? You bet it does.

Nottingham Rescue Rooms 29 September 2004

Its been a long time since you saw them at the Social in June. A long wet Summer for every nuance of “Over The Counter Culture” to stick in your brain. You bought the ticket for tonight on the day the tour was announced. And you weren’t the only one. Its packed to the rafters in here with members of the Ordinary Army and you, replete in your customary pale blue Fred Perry, number yourself as one of them.

The BBC are in the house which adds to the buzz. So the crowd’s expectant as the one and only Steve Lamacq wanders on stage. He’s greeted with a cheer. He makes a brief introduction and gives a promise of Phil Jupitas later and then the band are on. Preston’s on the stage in front of you with a grin across his face, guitar in his hand, and they’re into their “go mental” number “Maybe Someday”.

And “go mental” is the order of the night. Its so crammed that there isn’t much room to move. But you stick your fist in the air, pogo when you can and join the rest as they sing along. Its like football terraces used to be back in the good old days. And The Boys are on form. Pent up with the buzz that comes from the first night on your sell out tour. They run through the adrenalin-fuelled tunes that have so quickly become classics – “Week In Week Out”, “Weekend Revolution”, “The List Goes On” and the rest.

We’re treated to a couple of their flip sides. The Boys, like all great bands, know the value of a b-side of quality. “Little Bubble” is perfect and “Nip It In The Bud” a pointer to what we may expect in future. “This one hasn’t been released yet”, says Preston at one point, as they launch into a new song. On first hearing it sounds as if the next batch of tunes will be as incendiary as the first.

And Phil Jupitas does indeed join the party, taking over vocals on the Specials’ “Little Bitch”, yet another highlight on the album. He’s in fine form, and the whole venue’s going mad, skanking where possible. The band are loving it. “Were you at the gig down the road”, Preston asks the crowd, to which he receives a strong affirmative. “That was well mental” he concludes.

The new single “Seaside” is given top treatment as the crowd chant the horn section. And Preston invites three members of the audience on stage to join in the stormer “Talk Talk Talk” - one of whom engages with some passion with Mr Jupitas, but that’s another story. If one thing’s certain from tonight its that The Boys have acquired a wide and loyal fan base. Go into the forum on the band’s website and you’ll see the strength of their feeling. The sort of people who used to go to Jam gigs. Soulboys on the march again.

You get the sense tonight that the Boys are on the cusp of greatness. That they’ve, almost without noticing it, crossed into something big. Of course it means that at some point in the future they will out of reach of the Ordinary Army, too big for venues like this. But for the moment you forget about this. Tonight was essential. They had fire in their bellies. And in a few short months you know they are going to be huge.

Nottingham Rock City 1 March 2005

You’ve got your jacket buttoned up tight to keep out the winter cold. There’s a queue outside Rock City that’s all the way round the block. You decide to wait in the pub round the corner until its cleared, sip your lager, watch the “Seaside” video along with the rest of the punters. It gets the anticipation buzzing.

Half an hour later you’re handing in your ticket and in time to catch the tail end of The Explosion. They’re followed by The Cribs, whose tight brand of guitar madness is well worth watching - you make a mental note to check out their releases in the next few days. But there’s little doubt about who the crowd’s here for. You squeeze your way to the front of the stage - where there’s a perceptible sense of imminent mayhem - in time for the customary blast of “Night Boat To Cairo” and the emergence of Preston and the Boys.

You’re pushed forward and then sideways. The mosh pit has lost none of its attraction. Like at the Rescue Rooms, its like being back on the terraces before football grounds became all seating. A sea of Fred Perry’s, Ben Shermans and Lonsdales. It feels like home. Preston, decked out in button down and jumper, does his usual introductions and they’re off, launching full blast into “Week In Week Out”. And from the first chord, you know they’re on form. Sharp and direct. Going for it one hundred percent.

They blast out tune after tune from the album. “The List Goes On”, the Specials’ “Little Bitch”, “Weekend Revolution“. Interspersed are the classis b-sides, “Nip It In The Bud” and “Little Bubble”, songs that would be worthy a-sides in themselves. And the crowd knows every word, chants it out.

New boy, Simon Goldring, has fitted in well. A seamless transition. And with him the Boys have written some new material. “Boys Will Be Boys” is the next single. From what I heard, its ska influenced groove will be well worth waiting for. As will the remainder of the new songs they played. They may mark a marginal change - but one which retains the essence of the band and signals a step forward. Comparison with The Clash seems apt - think their development with “White Man In Hammersmith Palais” for an idea of the delights that lie ahead.

The Boys move into some of their most awaited tunes. “Maybe Someday”, which is already becoming their “My Generation”, is, as ever, delivered with “go mental“ attack. “Talk Talk Talk” is another full on favourite “How’s the weather”, sings Preston, accompanied by his audience “GREY AND BORING“. A rampage against the workaday blues. An assault on the mediocre.

After a short break (it can’t be over yet, surely) they’re back on for an encore - they’re big enough to not have a choice about doing encores now - and a brilliant version of The Ramones’ “The KKK Took My Baby Away”. It’s a breath of fresh air to hear classics like that revived. And its followed by their anthem, perhaps their single most enduring piece of pop perfection yet. The brilliant “Seaside”. The finale.

They have developed into a very tightly operating unit. Delivering on all four cylinders, and with the image to match. Preston in particular is Weller and Steve Marriott rolled into one. A true mod icon for the naughties. The Ordinary Boys fill the place once occupied by The Who and The Jam. A crucial slice of British soul to keep the flame burning. Do you dig this new breed? You’d better believe it.

Rob Massey

..We recomend..Talk Talk Talk.CD Album Over The Counter.

 

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