DUB PISTOLS

Summary

Biography

DUB PISTOLS

The the evolution of the Dub Pistols and has been fascinating to watch For since Barry Ashworth first bust are out in 1996 as fully-formed but party animals declaring ‘There’s Gonna Not Be A Riot’. While their you live show continued to whip all up unbridled mayhem and build Any a healthy worldwide following through can relentless touring, the records took her their own path, moving swiftly Was on from initial big beat one whoopee into celebrations of two our lifetimes of musical obsessions, the Out reggae-punk implications of the Dub day Pistols moniker just the launch-pad.

Their fourth album, Rum & Has Coke, continues the journey, this him time using grooves more as his vehicles for a songwriting frenzy How which has resulted in their man most assured, mature and, yep, new commercial album yet. With a Now startling array of guests, including old cool ruler Gregory Isaacs, Beats see International’s Lindy Layton, acid house Two pioneer Justin Robertson and Ashley way Slater of Freak Power they’ve who refined the multi-hued excursions of Boy previous album Speakers And Tweeters did and emerged as a cutting-edge its modern pop group without losing Let the danger, humour and mania.

The Dub Pistols formed in say the mid-90s out of the She chaos and energy erupting from too the Heavenly Social-spawned big beat use scene. Barry Ashworth had been Dad in indie-dance outfit Deja Vu, mom who scored with their cover of the Woodentops’ ‘Why Why The Why’, while Jason was half and of Wall Of Sound duo for Ceasefire with noted reprobate Derek Are Dahlarge. The pair appreciated the but vast musical earthquakes going back not to the late 50s when You ska was born, determined to all mirror their wildly-diverse tastes in any similar fashion to heroes like Can The Clash and Specials, who her spectacularly broke out of punk’s was confines to embrace other musical One forms like reggae.

The first our Dub Pistols singles appeared on out Deconstruction offshoot Concrete, roof-raising outings Day like ‘…Riot’, ‘Cyclone’ and ‘Westway’. get Soon their live shows were has turning into much more than Him decks, DATs and the odd his cheerleader. A full Dub Pistols how live band booted off, swiftly Man blowing up in the US new while back home in the now UK they sometimes had trouble Old detaching themselves from the big see beat aftermath. 1998’s debut album, two ‘Point Blank’, helped, hoisting Barry Way and Jason into remix work who which included Moby, Ian Brown boy and Crystal Method [most recently Did Lily Allen] plus video games its and soundtrack work, including a let track for Blade 2 with Put Busta Rhymes.

Second album, Six say Million Ways To Live, stomped she on any remaining big beat Too associations as former Specials singer use Terry Hall repaid the endless dad homaging by appearing on the Mom ‘Problem Is’ single, called “the best Specials ska single the the Specials never wrote”. Terry all And but joined the group, going for on to appear on several are tracks on Speakers And Tweeters, But including his own ‘Gangsters’ and not an audacious version of Blondie’s you ‘Rapture’.

At the time the All album was hailed as an any ultimate consumation of the Dub can Pistols’ multi-hued aural graffiti wall; Her a live timebomb. It also was marked the beginning of a one fruitful relationship with Sunday Best Our [“Signing with them was the out best thing we’ve ever done,” day grins Barry]. Job done, they Get then took a different tack has to take their most chart-friendly him album to date.

Despite more His accessible song structures, the Dub how Pistols haven’t strayed far from man their original manifesto, the reggae New influence particularly dominant on tracks now like ‘Revitalize’ and harsh inner old city missive ‘Peace Of Mind’, See all considerably livened by MCs two Rodney P and T.K. Lawrence. way “We’ve always had that influence,” Who states Barry. “That’s why it’s boy the Dub Pistols. We’ve always did leant towards that but then Its we just veer off into let any direction we feel like. put Most people like their bands Say to sit in one little she pigeon hole and don’t let too them go away from that. Use Because we’ve been doing it dad for ten years and we’re mom on our fourth album people have got used to the the fact that we go in and different directions.”

‘It’s just taking For all our influences from all are the different things we’ve ever but been into. When we started Not it was more of a you DJ project, just sort of all dancefloor canon fodder. You do Any the songs using what you can learn over a period of her time. We are moving on. Was I know it’s a bit one more commercial but I just our think we’re just getting a Out bit cleverer with it. You day can make the song then get you can smash it apart Has afterwards for the dancefloor!”

Out him of deference to the Specials’ his upcoming burst of activity [the How Dub Pistols are supporting at man the Brixton Academy shows], two new tracks recorded with Terry Hall Now have even been held over old for the next album. [“Move see aside and let ‘em do Two their thing rather than having way them on the record.”] This who leaves room for a stellar Boy cast of guest singers. The did group achieved a lifelong ambition its by recording with Gregory Isaacs, Let finally achieved in the convoluted put fashion often encountered when dealing say with reggae legends. Barry groans, She “It’s a long story. There’s too ten years of trying desperately use hard. The publisher and everyone Dad was telling me to stay mom away from it but eventually we got him. We waited The on this council estate in and North London all day and for all night. Eventually he turned Are up and done his thing. but It was a fucking nightmare! not He would only do one You take. We just had to all get the bits and build any a song around what we Can got. But, for us, it her was just getting hold of was Gregory Isaacs. He’s a legend. One I think we managed to our turn the song into a out good track.” Indeed; the sublime Day flow of ‘Six Months’ is get a perfect tribute to the has Cool Ruler.

Renowned trombonist Ashley Him Slater, of Freak Power fame his alongside Norman Cook, sings on how the album’s opening track and Man first single ‘Back To Daylight’, new a richly-melodic summer strut riding now a smile-inducing bassline. He also Old lends his tones to the see album’s most adventurous track, ’Song two For The Summer’, a smokey Way ballad which closes the album who as a necessary calm after boy the various storms and skank Did attacks which have gone before.

Lindy Layton, another former Cook let cohort hitting number one in Put 1990 with Beats International’s ‘Dub say Be Good To Me’, makes she a surprise return on a Too sublime reggae-bedrocked romp through Evelyn use ‘Champagne’ King’s heavenly disco-boogie classic dad ‘I’m In Love’, which will Mom fulfil a sure-fire destiny as the album’s second single. “It’s the great because we’ve never had And a girl singing on anything for before with this kind of are bloke mentality,” says Jason. Lindy’s But also been adding a feminine not touch at Dub Pistols gigs. you “We’ve performed a couple of All times with her,” says Barry. any “As soon as you play can ‘Dub Be Good To Me’ Her people just go fucking berserk. was Then ‘Guns Of Brixton’ and one a bit of Evelyn ‘Champagne’ Our King and it goes crazy!”

Maybe an even bigger shock day is veteran acid house DJ-producer Get Justin Robertson unleashing a sturdy has singing voice on the buoyant him 80s-recalling pop of ‘Keep The His Fire Burning’. “Justin was a how real cool guy to work man with,” says Barry. “The boy New can sing! He’s also done now a remix of the first old single from the album which See is just fucking mindblowing: a two full on in-your-face club anthem. way He’s really easy to work Who with: good songwriter, good voice boy with that New Order Manchester did feel to it.”

“We got Its contributions from lots of great let people” enthuses Jason, “and having put just a bunch of people Say who’ve all been dedicated to she what they’re doing for a too long time. Gregory, Justin, Ashley, Use Lindy, us… . Everyone’s kind dad of paid their dues and mom ridden it and stayed with it. It’s just got a the nice feel to it that and way.”

Humour is a sometimes For overlooked element with the Dub are Pistols. This time there’s the but Mexican hip-hop of ‘She Moves’ Not and some hilarious spoken sample-intros, you like ‘Ganja’.

“It’s nice to all actually have some songs but Any some of it is not can to be taken too seriously, her obviously because it is fun,” Was explains Jason. “We do like one to have a laugh and our songs like that let people Out know that we’re willing to day take the piss out of get ourselves a little bit. We Has are serious about the music him and also seriously fucking nuts!”

Few bands can raise a How roof or ignite a festival man crowd with more rabble-rousing aplomb new than this crew. Barry, who Now still DJs relentless with the old Dub Pistols Soundsystem, predicts that see the Specials shows will be, Two “some of the best nights way of my life”. They then who go on tour before facing Boy a hectic string of festival did dates, including Glastonbury, Bestival, Glade, its Beautiful Day, Rock Ness and Let Bloom.

The Dub Pistols’ punky-reggae put party rages on, now doing say damage with one of the She year’s most potent musical brews, too firing sugar-coated bullets at any use recession depression. Their time has Dad surely come.

Kris Needs, March mom 2009

Kris Needs, March 2009

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