93-95 Hyndland Street
Tue 6 Oct · 19:30
The Blow Monkeys are unique with a career spanning over 40 years. Always making new music, always stretching their own musical boundaries. With worldwide hits such as the classics ‘Digging Your Scene’ and ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way’, they became household names but there was always so much more going on with these soulful troubadours. Their relentless desire to move forward, to collaborate, to be socially engaged and to have something to contribute. Back in the 80’s they worked with people as varied as Curtis Mayfield, Paul Weller, Cheb Khaled and even Jamaican Toaster EEK-a-Mouse! “No band since The Clash in their early 80’s heyday had attempted to act as a sounding board for such politically engaged, eclectic music” Dr Robert even took time out to release one of the UK’s first homegrown “house’” records ‘Wait”’ his top 5 duet with Chicago soul diva Kym Maselle. And so the journey continues. Reformed in 2008 The Blow Monkeys have been incredibly productive releasing nine new albums and playing hundreds of concerts. And now in the Summer of 2024 comes a sparkling new album ‘Birdsong’ on Alan McGee’s ‘Creation Youth’ label. “I had a chance meeting with Alan at Youth‘s studio up here in the mountains near Granada and he asked me to write and record a “brilliant Blow Monkey record“. I knew what he meant. The songs just poured out almost without effort which is always a good sign.. Its a very ‘up’ record … deliberately so.” Says Robert. “They just recorded an album at Paul Wellers studio and it is as good as anything Dr Robert did back in the day.” Says McGee “What is unique about Blow Monkeys is bar the drummer are all original members. Next year we tour in Australia then the UK and Europe and release the album we just recorded on Creation Youth. I love this band!“ These Monkeys continue to evolve. From their beginnings on the underground club scene right through to their appearance on the biggest selling soundtrack of all time “Dirty Dancing” (You Don’t Own Me) a
Not the same tradition as the lineage above — a genuinely different thread to pull, if you want one.