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MONKEY BUSINESSby Mathew Priest |
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Talking of community, I feel it is my job to inform you of any bands or artists from the area whose star may well be in the ascendance. One such band is Monkey Island. In fact, for me not to focus on a band who have recently received Single of the Week in The Guardian and been described as 'the best live band in the country' by the NME, would be foolish and RUDE. So I met up with their splendidly un-hirsute drummer and co-lyricist Jan, and we shared a bottle of wine or two, which is something I wouldn't normally do, but he is a rather insistent chap. Monkey Island are Jan, singer/guitarist Pete from Blackpool, whom he met at Canterbury Art College, and bassist Darren whom Jan knows from 'the days' when they used to knock about in bands together in West London. In fact Darren is known as 'the original Hersham boy'. He'll probably kill me for that. They all converged on this area about the same time as the M11 protests: 'you couldn't help but be inspired by all that'. Coincidentally, Jan's great-grandmother is buried in Abney Park Cemetery, something he didn't know until he moved here, and it seems that she, in fact, was the original punk, albeit a righteous one. 'She was arrested for preaching on street corners,' says Jan proudly, 'and she was only nineteen.' In fact, she's not the only member of Jan's family who contributed to his 'calling'. 'My dad was in a band called The Joystrings. They got to number 45 in the charts in 1964 with a song called It's an Open Secret.' And if anybody reading this has a copy, then let us know and we'll get Jan senior to sign it for you. Ysee, that's community in action again! Completely and fiercely independent, they recorded their first album, Mere Pawns to the Monkey God of Rock and Roll back in 1996 at the infamous Pathway Studio near Newington Green. 'It's the best studio in the world, and probably the smallest. The Damned and Eivis Costello have used it. We went there for a day to record a single and decided to cut the whole album instead.' What, in ONE day! 'Yeah, I wanted to retire after that.' Well, thankfully, that didn't happen, and two albums, six singles and countless tours down the road, Monkey Island are stronger, better and more committed than ever. The last single - Mussolini's Teaspoons (c/w Galileo) - is a fantastic slice of full-on, spoken-word rock and roll with a twist, and can be purchased from the aforementioned Totem Records on Church Street or from their own brilliant website: www.monkey-island.demon.co.uk. Finally, I asked Jan what he thought of Stoke Newington. 'It's a great place to be creative, you know, to be an artist. 'Why's that? 'Well there's loads of places to go and get drunk and talk bollocks all night.' Hear, hear! In the next issue we shall be looking at local 13-piece wonder group The hKippers (the h is silent) as I have just been sent their CD and I think it's fantastic. And find out why they are probably the only band in the world where you will hear the quote 'Well, we haven't been so busy since he won the Oscar.' Actually, you can go and see them yourselves and tell me what you think. They're playing at the Vortex on December 16 and January 22. Remember to keep sending your letters and CDs as they have taken away my exercise privilege and I get a bit bored sat here 23 hours a day.
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p22 music listings Barracuda (125 SN Church St. 020 7923
7488) John Miller, plus occasional guests, every Friday at 9.00pm. Blush (8 Cazenove Rd, 020 7923 9202) Booths (71-72 SN Church St, 020 7923 9332) DJ nights: Thursday night Basement Stax, Friday, guest DJ. Saturday Footprint/Saturday Sessions, Sunday Basement Stax. Opening Xmas Eve and New Year's Eve till late. Chats Palace (42-44 Brooksbys Walk.
Homerton, 020 8533 0227) Ryan's Bar (181 SN Church St, 020 7275
7807) Vortex 139-141 Church St 020 7254 6516
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Well, I thought I had better go and see Tony from Totem Records to see how
his life had changed since my expose on him and his shop in the last edition of this
wonderful organ. 'Well there haven't been any drastic changes, Mathew, except everybody
knows my name now.' Fantastic, that's community in action for you right there, that is.