| 93 Feet East, London, 7/11/2005.
It has only been a few weeks since I last saw The Mules at The Hope And Anchor but I can't wait to see them once more. Today's setting is 93 ft East, a much better size
venue for these schizoid masters of mayhem and controlled dishevelment. Even if drumming singer Ed Seed's battered briefcase wasn't the greatest accessory in music history I'd be a fan of these Oxford sumpters.
It only takes a couple of bars of opening track 'Plenty Warning' for me to get firmly back into the swing of things, as the 5 piece lurch, plod and bob in glorious disharmony never has a band name seemed more appropriate. However this beast is a mixed bag, part beautiful musicianship and part raucous frenzy. In violinist Nico Beedle they surely have the Slash of the fiddle world, perhaps best highlighted during 'Rhino'. Despite his modest appearance he plucks, bows and slides like a man possessed, surely it won't be long before he starts playing a twin-neck and forms his own Snake pit.
It's not just Nico who is a master of his craft and during the set each member shines. The disco bass riff of 'We're Good People' showcases Jim's skill with the bass and during 'Problems With Exits' bearded keyboardist Tim Burke proves himself to be quite the Beethoven! Underpinning the whole thing is the guitar of Duncan Brown who manages to casually stroll through music styles as varied as psychedelic blue-grass and what I can only describe as a ceiledgh wig out during 'The Tule Lake Shuffle'.
Front man Ed plays the drums with abandon; to look at his ramshackle approach you wouldn't think he would be able to keep up with the most simple of time signatures let alone those of a more complex nature. However, Ed remains in complete control and even manages to conduct the rest of the band from upon his stool, shouts of "speed it up" can be heard during the crescendo of 'Ham Shank' and the rest of the band duly oblige. The fact that he also has a superb voice is another amazing feature of this awe inspiring band.
So who do these guys sound like? At various parts of the set I'm reminded of everyone from Captain Beefheart to The Pogues, from The Talking Heads to The Wedding Present or from The Coral to The Albion Band. The Mules may sound a little like each of these bands but overall their sound is fresh and new, as are the moves of the dedicated followers at the front. Never before have I seen such strange dancing, and for ever more such moves shall be known as "doing a Mule". As the band chase each other round the stage during 'Polly-O' it is obvious that everyone is having the time of their lives, band and audience alike. As the frenetic set closes with 'Season Ticket Holder' I can't help but wonder what magic potions are kept within that battered old briefcase, and hope that there's plenty more still in there.
Written by Duncan and Luke for Music Truth webzine (www.musictruth.co.uk). |
