Date : 03 June 2005
Saturday Night on BBC London 94.9 FM
Slipper were guests of the Charlie Gillett on BBC London last
Saturday 28th May at 8 o'clock. Sam Dodson, also of Loop Guru, sent Charlie
a CD of their newly released album, 'When Hot Dogs Fly'. Charlie called saying
'Sam, this is such a good record, we cant believe it's British!' Charlie then asked
Sam if he would be interested in playing live on the show.
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SLIPPER featuring ANDREA BLACK PLAY BBC LONDON
I like surprises. I prefer not to know what's going to happen next.
 Most records play it safe, declaring within ten seconds what
genre they are in; rock, indie, chill, fado, tango, hip hop, etc. Occasionally, having
given a generic album the benefit of the doubt, I'm rewarded with a performance so
outstanding, I donít mind its conservatism. But more often, I stop it before the
end of the first song, in my impatient quest for originality and adventure.
When the new album from Slipper arrived some months ago, there was note inside the
packet from writer-producer Sam Dodson, introducing himself as 'the other half of
Loop Guru' and explaining that this is his own separate project. From the opening
seconds of the first song, both the music and the words were unusual and arresting,
and before the second track had ended I was on the phone to Sam, fixing up a live
session ahead of their next gig in London. On Thursday, Sam had organised for a Theremin
to be added to the mix, and tonight he he played electric guitar while vocalist Andrea
Black sang to the CD backing track.
It was only as they performed in front of me that I began to realise that their references
and inspirations include the 'exotic' sounds of Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny
and Les Baxter, early 1960s precursors of what is today called Lounge Music.
Although I like Arthur Lyman's 'Taboo', I'm not a fan of the rest, much of which
is dangerously close to kitsch. But these two manage to be simultaneously serious
and good-humoured, a difficult trick to achieve. They would be perfect for Stranger
Than Paradise, the once-a-month extravaganza organised by promoter Amanda Rogers
at South London Pacific in Kennington. Meanwhile, Slipper's next confirmed booking
is at the George 1V in Chiswick on June 16, more details in Alan Finkel's What's
Going On at our website, www.soundoftheworld.com
Following the success of Slipper featuring Andrea Black on the Charlie Gillett
show
Slipper celebrate by presenting early guests with a free glass of bubbly!
http://www.charliegillett.com/playlist.php?date=28May05 for a brief resume by Charlie.
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SLIPPER AT THE GEORGE
Slipper featuring Andrea Black are also playing at George IV on 16th June
from 8'oc. 185 Chiswick High Road, tel 020 8994 4624. The tickets are priced at £8
on the door and £7 in advance. Disabled access. All the proceeds will go to
the British Heart Foundation.
The Tiki themed event will also be supported by the Loop Guru Exotic Sound System.
There will be cocktails and food available. And Great raffle prizes to be won.
On the trail of the forgotten Tiki cult of the fifties, enjoy the atmosphere of The
Tiki Bar. One of the most bizarre chapters of American pop awaits rediscovery. |
