Ian Dury & the Blockheads
Witty Cockney narratives delivered over world-class funk grooves. It is music hall cheekiness meets high-end musicianship for a sharp, danceable night out.
Witty Cockney narratives delivered over world-class funk grooves. It is music hall cheekiness meets high-end musicianship for a sharp, danceable night out.
Ian Dury and the Blockheads sound like a rowdy London pub that somehow booked the tightest funk band in the world. It is a collision of Ian Dury's gravelly, spoken-word delivery and the Blockheads' incredibly sophisticated, disco-inflected grooves. The music is earthy and unpretentious, yet the musicianship is virtuosic, featuring bubbling slap bass and dual-saxophone stabs that would not be out of place on a James Brown record.
What makes them truly distinctive is the contrast between Dury’s music hall sensibilities and the band's rhythmic precision. Dury does not sing so much as he narrates, using a rich vocabulary of slang, character studies, and bawdy humor. This 'vaudeville-punk' approach creates a sense of intimacy and mischief, as if he is leaning over the bar to tell you a secret that is both poetic and slightly obscene.
Start with the album New Boots and Panties!! or the single Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. These tracks showcase the perfect balance of Dury’s lyrical genius and the band’s ability to turn a character sketch into a dancefloor filler. It is essential listening for anyone who likes their pop music with a high IQ and a heavy groove.
The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. As of March 2023 members included Chaz Jankel (guitar and keyboards), Nathan King (bass), Mick Gallagher (keyboards and piano), John Turnbull (vocals and guitar), John Roberts (drums), and Mike Bennett (lead vocals). There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards, Dave Lewis, and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey. The band may be best known for their hit singles, recorded with Dury, "What a Waste", "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick", "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3", and "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll".
Shares new wave, funk, post-punk (subgenres); analog warmth, live recording, studio polished (production style)
Shares new wave, funk, post-punk (subgenres); playful, rebellious, energetic (moods)
Shares analog warmth, live recording, studio polished (production style); playful, rebellious, energetic (moods)
Shares analog warmth, live recording, studio polished (production style); dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere)
Shares new wave, post-punk, art rock (subgenres); analog warmth, live recording, dry intimate (production style)
Shares new wave, post-punk, art rock (subgenres); analog warmth, live recording, studio polished (production style)
Shares playful, rebellious, energetic (moods); live recording, analog warmth, studio polished (production style)
Shares playful, rebellious, energetic (moods); live recording, studio polished, analog warmth (production style)
Shares analog warmth, live recording, studio polished (production style); dive bar, urban night, basement show (atmosphere)
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