Having been around some of the musicians in this band for many years now, I was very interested to learn that Darlingon’s The Che Men were releasing a new record. They’re not exactly known for being prolific, so this is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it opportunity especially given the limited vinyl pressing, for all you worshippers of round bits of 12″ plastic.
A little history lesson – these cats have been making music since the early 80s and have been involved in all manner of acts such as the Restrictors (one of the original ska bands from the North East), Last Rough Cause, Major Accident and many more. What’s more there is a strong connection to the legendary Redskins – bassist Martin Bottomley guests on the song Jangling Man, and the tune So It Goes is a reworking of an unreleased track written by Chris Dean of Redskins.
So with that out of the way, onto the good stuff and what a fabulous collection of songs this is. I am quite far out of my comfort zone here, not being familiar with bands in a genre which somehow bridges mod, power-pop and ska with dub touches. Is that even a genre? The Che Men don’t really worry about ticking boxes or sitting in pigeonholes and I’m happy with that.
Six songs, each of which would have been a bona fide hit a couple of decades back. In fact, I can guarantee if any of these songs popped up on a Top Of The Pops repeat from the early 80s, you’d be kicking yourself that you never bought the 7″ from Woolworths for 50p at the time. My favourites are Jangling Man which is a mid-paced piece of melancholy, and record closer Wasted Lands – a superb ska/ dub tune that brings to mind classic Specials/ Fun Boy Three. The musicianship is all top-notch and Andy Dinsdale’s soulful vocals are the icing on the cake. Tom Chapman
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Thanks for your review of ‘Echoes Of The 30s’.
If anyone would like to buy a copy of The Che Men album there’s still a few copies left of the record on Bandcamp and it’s also up on most of the download/streaming sites too. Here’s the link —> https://thechemen.hearnow.com/echoes-of-the-30s