There was a general air of disbelief being in an area in which the local listings guide highlighted that in May, there are over 30 tribute acts of varying descriptions in the area. Well it wasn’t a typo or a tribute band as the original gig planned for the Bank Holiday had been cancelled so this gig was a last minute replacement.

Well, the Bank Holiday crowds that decided to go home missed out on a New Orleans Parrr-teaay of huge funkin’ proportions. And when you’ve got in excess of 35 albums of material and a stack of hits, you know this group can deliver.

Even before Eddie Henderson was ruling the dance floor, The Fatback Band already had hit the charts with ‘(Are You Ready) Do The Bustop’, ‘Wiki-Wacky’ and ‘Spanish Hustle’. The band has most of the original members still in it and with 30 years of experience travelling the world, they were as tight and funky as ever.

This may have been the smallest venue they’ve played in decades but they gave it everything they had. Some of the band led the dancing on ‘Bustop’ and then there’s the Caister sing-a-long favourite, ‘I’ve Found Lovin”. And the hits just keep on comin’ with ‘Gotta Get My Hands On Some (Money) ’ and the classic ‘Backstrokin”. While it’s said that ‘King Tim III (Personality Jock)’ was the first rap single, there is no mistakin’ that Fatback are the orginal full-bodied funkers.

Their most recent album is Fatback Band: Live in Tokyo and even though it was a small wonder that the whole band fitted on the stage last night, what’s the chances of Fatback Band: Live In Christchurch ever hitting the shops?

Note: A future Hectic podcast is more than likely to included Bah Samba Remixes of ‘Feel The Fire’ and ‘I Found Lovin’ on the Go-Go House tip. How’s it go, “I’ve found lovin’…I’m in love with you”. Yeaaaaaaaaah

Fatback Band, The - Feel The Fire (Remixes) (BKO Productions Ltd) Release date: June 2007
Tracklisting:
A1 Feel The Fire (Bah Samba Mix) (8:19)
B1 Feel The Fire (Original Mix) (3:38)
B2 I Found Lovin’ (Bah Samba Remix) (6:28)

Links:
www.fatbackband.com
www.thomastripplive.com
Taste Personality of the Year — Johnnie Lovell, The Thomas Tripp
Live Wire May 07 at www.dolfinmusic.com
www.myspace.com/bahsambamusic
bahsamba.co.uk