Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
The Jack Cades, Dirty Water Records 2018.
The Jack Cades formed in 2017 when Mike on lead guitar and vocals and Elsa (rhythm guitar and vocals) decided to record some of the songs they had been writing at Mole’s (drums) notorious State Records Studios in Folkestone, Kent.
Mike, Elsa and Mole were all members of other bands at the time (The Baron Four, The Embrooks, The Galileo 7, The Missing Souls) but once they entered the studio they all agreed that the chemistry was too strong to ignore and so The Jack Cades were born.
The outcome of their studio efforts is an eight-track extended EP that is pure and raw 60s rock’n’roll.
With the inclusion of Alexandra from Speedball Jr on bass they’ve started playing the clubs and developing a solid fan base.
The EP has been recorded live straight to tape in an analog studio and it transports you straight back to the 60s with sounds that could have come from a variety of London based bands like The Kinks and the Stones.
The vocals have that authentic tin-can sound and the guitars haven’t been run through a myriad of pedals and processors.
Most tracks are short and all are high energy.
All the tracks are good but there are a few gems.
You’ve Seen It All contains all the energy and vibe of a successful single with a great chorus and guitar work.
And Big Fish and I’m Going are full on 60s time capsules.
In fact, the whole album is like a treasure that you discover amongst the LPs in a second-hand store.
The Jack Cades and their EP, Music For Children, exemplifies Dirty Water Music’s approach to music which is best stated in their motto ‘Marching backwards into the future.’
