I’m not a huge fan of pop-ska music. All that sillyness and parping of horns should have been left behind in 1998 when I first discovered Reel Big Fish (thanks to a version of FIFA for the PlayStation I might add). But for some reason bands continue to peddle out tired variants on the So-Cal ska theme, taking the best bits of bands such as Mad caddies and The Fish, and completely ruining them. I think it’s a valid point that the best ska bands in the UK don’t actually play ska music at all (here’s looking at you Howards Alias, NoComply, Adequate 7 et al). Don’t get me wrong, at times I do quite enjoy ska bands, but it has to be done well.
Weeble are the kind of band that infest your local venue and support the bigger touring bands every Friday night, without fail. It doesn’t matter where you live, be it John O’Groats or Land’s End, but there’s a band like this in every town. They have a large group of fans, mainly friends, who dance and skank their way across the aforementioned venue. Bands like these are a promoter’s dream – they bring lots of paying customers, are usually cheap and help bar sales. But it doesn’t make it hard or clever, even if fun is usually to be had.
This EP, originally released in 2002, is pretty harmless. By nature it will attract lots of local fans because of its sillyness – there’s lots of ska guitar and bouncy brass sections, but there’s a massive dose of the ‘heard-it-all-befores’. It’s fine to pay homage to the bands that you like and worhsip, but to be such a blatant rip-off isn’t cool if you want to move on from being the opening act at your local venue. Tracks like ‘Gumball’ and ‘Know Who You Are’ are ok, but not much more than a bit of fun. Harsh? Yep. But when you hear the exact same thing thirty times a week, you just pray for something a little different to stand out. And there’s absolutely nothing new on offer here.
www.goweeble.com
Paul