Standing in the midst of a packed New Century Hall crowd, this feels like a big Saturday night out, a party to celebrate the return of a much loved band, and although they’ve only been away a few years, a rebirth of Zutons psych infused pop is well overdue. Having released the first new material in over ten years, the sense of anticipation is huge. There’s people in their 60s and 70s here, along with whole families who have brought their teenage kids, those who remember them the first time around and those who have discovered them in the intervening years.
Taking to the stage, they launch into ‘Zuton Fever’ from debut album ‘’Who Killed The Zutons’ its glorious Beefheart-esque jangling guitar melodies heralding a long awaited return. The band draw mostly from that brilliant debut album, with the crowd singing along with every word of the timeless singles ‘Don’t Ever Think Too Much’ and ‘Pressure Point’. The band seems genuinely humbled by the ecstatic crowd response, with frontman Dave McCabe, saxophonist Abi Harding and drummer Sean Payne having rekindled their friendships and song writing collaborations over recent years, with one-off shows and a rejuvenated enthusiasm for all that The Zutons had achieved. Not that this is any sort of nostalgia trip, the band having written a new album’s worth of tunes from which we also get the excellent title track ‘The Big Decider’ and ‘Pauline’.
They may have been all over the music press in the early noughties, yet their sound remained true to their musical vision, firmly rooted in that Mersey mystical guitar pop, which seems to flow through many a tunesmith from Liverpool, each band with their own unique twist on shimmering guitar melodies. The Zutons infused their brilliant, vibrant indie guitar tunes with a hefty dose of soulful blues, culminating in a sound which seemed to take as much inspiration from Motown, disco and great Northern Soul rhythms as it did from the psychedelic guitar pop bands of the 60s. It seemed inevitable then, at some point their paths would cross with legendary producer and Chic maestro Nile Rogers, who along with another producing and song writing legend Ian Broudie, has taken charge of production duties on the upcoming album.
Songs such as ‘Hello Conscious’ from the second album ‘Tired Of Hanging Around’ with its stomping rhythms and tales of late night partying and regret still sound as fresh as when they were written, and are just as good as the huge crowd pleasing singles’ Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love’ and ‘Valerie’. There’s clearly a ton of people here who have also discovered the band through the Amy Winehouse cover, as once the opening bars of “well sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water” are heard, the venue gives Blackpool illuminations a run for its money, with a sea of lit up phones hoisted in the air capturing the moment.
The stomping refrains of ‘You Will You Won’t’ are matched by McCabe’s blues infused vocals, and Abi Harding’s powerful saxophone riffs, and it remains one of the best tunes they’ve written. That said, recent single ‘Creeping On The Dancefloor’ also has the crowd pulsating to its guitar pop melodies and is as good as any vintage Zutons tune from the early 2000’s, with its soul laden grooves powering the whole song along. Ending with ‘Zuton Fever Reprise, it’s a fitting finale, the psyched up Mersey blues rock ringing out into the night. A triumphant return for one of the UKs finest guitar bands.
From the early days of creating handmade zines, in a DIY paper and glue style, interviewing bands around town, then pestering Piccadilly Records to sell them, to writing for various independent mags such as Chimp and Ablaze, writing about the music I love is still a great passion. After testing the music industry waters in London with stints at various labels, being back in my hometown again, writing about this city’s vibrant music scene is as exciting as ever. All time favourite bands include Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, Patti Smith although anything from electro to folk via blues and pysch rock will also do nicely too. A great album, is simply a great album, regardless of whatever musical cage you put it in.
