There was this great band called the Breakestra, once. They used to play the breaks and often the full originals of funk and soul songs which became famous through their use as the basis for many early hip hop tunes. As a live band, the Breakestra would mix the songs and breaks together - I suppose as a live band the word 'segue' would be more appropriate. It was a fast and furious funk experience that I first saw at Fiddlers, coincidentally, but one I will remember for a long time both for the two hours of non-stop playing and the energy the huge band brought to the stage. As is often the way with bands whose music and raison d'etre is based on a simple idea, a gimmick, they only lasted a few years and the second time I saw them (at Fiddlers again) I had persuaded a lot of my friends to go because of the joy of the first time, they played four songs, two hours late, one of which was reprised for the encore. Good job I already had the CD's of them being good, I thought.
As I watched Plantlife, kicking off into a familiar set of tight funk and glorious soul, I was reminded of all this and wondered if this band would share the same fate. I heard a rumour that some of the bands members are linked but haven't been able to corroborate this (Google fails for once!). In their favour they have some incredible singers, a few good songs, but all original. In the tradition of James Brown, p-funk and many other masters of the genre this band are slamming down the funk, managing to keep fresh a sound that is decades old. Heavily scripted banter linked the songs together, which left some moments feeling a bit false but the frontman Mr Splash's boundless energy made up for it.
People are quick to assume that funk is dead, that the modern breaks and beats when they are funky, is what we have to have now. You know, the tireless journey to produce something new and original against an almost infinite backdrop of dull middle of the road muzak. Sometimes this throws up some gems, but all too often I feel that they're holding back for fear of being too similar to something else. Plantlife know all the rules and they play them well and while the sound itself isn't original, it's nice to know that someone understands, and is continuing the spirit of the music which I love. Yes I know I am also quick to criticize bands for following trends and being unoriginal, but no-one's really 'updated' funk music quite so successfully as Plantlife.
The new album, 'The Return of Jack Splash', is out now, the web site for their label is www.counterflowrecordings.com.
