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I was almost blinded by the summer morning sunshine that was reflecting off the mass ranks of brass. And I was about half a mile away checking out Drysllwyn Castle 5051 at the GWR Cheltenham Racecourse Station (Ed. I knew you were a train spotter!)

I couldn’t stay for there for long as the soulful big brass sound of this ten-piece band was calling me. Led by Seb Clarke on acoustic guitar and vocals, think soul mixed with a punk ethic that’s reminiscent of Q-Tips, without the looks of Paul Young (sorry lads). Along with all that brass, the band includes a great drummer and two keyboard players! Eat your heart out Billy Bragg, who only had Ian McLagan (he of Small Faces fame) on the same stage the previous evening.

The chances of a track called ‘Spring Morning Sunshine’ being a summer anthem is remote, but the band ended the set with a brilliant live performance of it. I felt for them as they were all dressed in their mohair suits and getting hotter by the minute.

I doubt that they’re obsessed by the seasons, but another track on the single that was coming out on the following Monday is called ‘Fall’. Nothing to do with autumn, it’s full-on energy with the urgency of a 60s garage band with the drummer working overtime. Just to show their range, the third track, ‘Strangers Again’ is in a Celtic bar ballad vein that you could imagine The Pogues giving a good go on a Saturday night.

I managed to have a few words with Seb after the show and he told me that the heat was no problem as it is often hotter on a club stage. I’m impressed as it was very hot as my now undecipherable sweat laden notes can testify. His accent is quite strong and, along with the energy of a furnace, gives the band a special quality. He told me: “We are part of the sound of North Staffs.”

The band certainly likes to gig. This was part of an 80-date tour and he told me last year, they appeared at three festivals in one day travelling from Guildford to the Larmer Tree in their Transit. It seems like Fly’s editor was up early enough to catch this lot at The Wychwood Music Festival) but I’d definitely want to see them again live. See the links below for further details of when they’re near you.

Reviewed: This Is Seb Clarke - ‘Spring Morning Sunshine’ (SONS) Cat. No. SONSTISC002 Release date: Summer 2006
Tracklisting
1. Spring Morning Sunshine (3:19)
2. Fall (3:08)
3. Strangers Again (6:48)

Links:
www.this-is-seb-clarke.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thisissebclarke
www.thesoundofnorthstaffsltd.com
Ex Great Western Castle Class, 5051 “Drysllwyn Castle” by David Howse
www.gwsr.com Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR) the railway line between Toddington and Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire.
Churnet Valley Steam Railway near Leek, North Staffordshire www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk
North Staffordshire Railway http://nsrly.blogspot.com