Tag: butterfly collective

Devizes Scooter Rally Rules, OK?!

If it’s been a fantastic weekend on Devizes Green with the orchestral Full-Tone Festival, further out of town scooterists, mods, skins and anyone else with a penchant for the merger of such retrospective subcultures gathered for an equally thrilling event, Devizes Scooter Rally 2024, backed by the shack of a soul boss, most turnin’, stormin’, sound o’soul….

You’ll have to excuse parts omitted and see this as an overall piece, because in trying to juggle both events there were times I was going between them, times I stopped home for my chips, and times when I generally slouched on the sofa contemplating getting my arse in gear! But what I did catch at Devizes Scooter Club’s most prestigious annual do, was off the scale brilliant; I expected no less based on their past rallies.

It might also be a smidgen inequitable on Full-Tone that I spent more time at the Rally. It’s walking distance from home, not having a scooter myself, and such is my right to satisfy what’s more my cuppa; the dirty down jollity of working class revelry! Note, then, despite eclectic tastes required to do this blog, my first music love will forever be ska and consequently reggae; it’s the offbeat, see? It’s that little jump, mek ya wanna skank up da riddim, not forgoing the heavy basslines or class brass. Unfortunately, it’s something we’re rarely blessed with here, so when it is in my neighbourhood, anything and everything else must get put on the backburner. 

And moreover, when we do get ska or reggae around these backwaters, it’s not usually of the quality we’ll see today at the Rally. And there lies my reason for savouring the opportunity against an orchestral happening elsewhere in town, fantastic as it was. The epiphany came with the finale of the Saturday, when London’s Goldsteppers stepped up to the challenge and truly blew me off my little dancing feet.

Band changeovers were quicker than the queue at the bar, which is no fault of the exceptionally hard-working bar staff, rather the given after navigating winding B-roads on a hairdryer on wheels, the punters camp up, and drink, they drink a lot!

After an electric set by Southampton’s Butterfly Collective, who had already raised the level with a varied melting pot of Kinks to Happy Mondays, and finishing on a reggae classic, I arrived back in the tent to be sublimely slotted into my comfort zone by these Gold-stepping Bobby Dazzlers. The beautiful sound of ska, seemingly attentive to original ska and rock steady, an often overlooked linkage between ska and reggae despite being the most creative period in Jamaican recording history, rather than the commonplace Two-Tone cover bands.

Alton Ellis, early Wailers songs and other cherry-picked rarities were given the Goldsteppers makeover, and it was something to behold. I could say this was the best ska band I’ve seen, but I’ve seen Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff et al, so I think they’ll understand and be satisfied when I say this was the perfect and best homage to that golden era of reggae I’ve witnessed for many a year.

Staying true to the original compositions and delivered with an unmatched tightness, so accomplished were Goldsteppers, their own originals didn’t sound out of place, and were welcomed by the frenzied crowd. The archetypal Pressure Drop from The Maytals, the classics came brassy and bassy, with astute attention to detail, passion and pitched with perfect banter. And while we’re talking brass is class, it should be noted the enthusiastic frontman, who introduced himself to me as Sam, unless I misheard, also blew saxophone with incredible clout; legend! Dammit, if they even, for humorous effect, ska’d up a cover of Wham’s Edge of Heaven and made it sound like Justin Hinds & The Dominoes recorded it in 1964! 

But what Goldsteppers did for reggae greats, headliners on the Friday, All That Soul, did for The Motown and Stax years. I’ve seen this show before, The Scooter Club booked them for a gig some years ago, this time only furthered my conviction that there’s no better homage to sixties classic soul in the UK, currently, than All That Soul. They were divine, on vocals, timing and showmanship, creating a sensation impossible not to savour in awe. Are we on Soul Train in 1969 right now?! No, still in a field near Devizes!

You could say this would suit a function, like a wedding, and many function bands attempt classic soul covers, varying in quality; it only depends on the level of your alcohol intoxication in how enjoyable they are! But not with All That Soul; you could go stone cold sober and come up dancing, because there’s nothing commonplace about them, neither cliché; it’s a billion levels up from the best function band you could possibly book with any amount of generosity from your bank manager!  

I only caught the end of the Decatonics’ set, but they sounded bloody awesome too, guess I was caught chatting to all those friendly faces on arrival. Because Devizes Scooter Rally is so communal, so hospitable it borders on one big happy family occasion.

Aside from bringing financial gain to Devizes as scooterists putt-putt off on ride-outs and to explore town, it’s an asset to our locality through being a well-organised and respected event. Our blossoming Scooter Rally is an attraction midway between your average scooter rally, which can often be no more than a local cover band and a bloke flogging hotdogs while enthusiasts chat shop, and an over commercialised large scale and renowned rally which borders festival proportions and consequently losses its edge and appeal.

So, while there’s space to grow this event, it’s perfect the way it currently is, and damn, it’s one amazingly unforgettable weekend for locals with only a passing interest, as much as it is for all the national aficionados who gathered on the site with the winks of knowledge that they’ve discovered a secret rally on top of its prime right now.

Devizes Scooter Rally is set to rev into 2025 already, set on the 25th-27th July. Same time, same place next year then? You betcha life, from me, and you really need to experience it too, with me, on the dancefloor, with your boots and braces! We got three million miles to reach the moon, So let’s start getting happy now….

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Boots & Braces Ready For Devizes Scooter Rally 2023?

Long overdue is our annual poking our nose into Devizes Scooter Club, see what peaky blinders they’re pulling off, including of course, the Devizes Scooter Rally 2023; because no matter what the people say, this sound leads the way…..

While I’d half-heartedly shrug at critics giving it scooter rallies can be a niche market, retrospective lager-fuelled skinheads admiring each other’s hairdryers in an overgrown field while some northern soul DJ spins his 7” rare grooves, this is where Devizes Scooter Rally differs from the status quo. Of course, appeasing the diehards who will trek vast land to amass at such events is crucial, but on its third year, Devizes Scooter Rally never feels insular, rather it’s the genuine article, affordable fun and welcomes curious townsfolk and those who may only have a passing interest in the scene. That’s its beauty, and long shall it be so.

You only have to check the interest when the club ride the carnival parade looking dapper in suits and braces, to note this is more than a retrospective cult; the merger of youth cultures of yore, the mod, the soul boys and skinheads and all inbetween is something impossible for those caught up in to let go off, simply because it’s irresistibly beguiling, and fun. To relish in soul and reggae of yesteryear is valid, as all mainstream pop since relies so heavily on its influence. 

So, we’re talking the weekend of 28th-30th of July, when the club invites all to gather at Lower Park Farm, just off the dual carriageway on Whistley Road, where scooters will be on show, and will ride out no doubt, but that’s not all. Activities for the children will be added, with food stalls and of course, the bar! And all raising funds for such a wonderful organisation, The Devizes & District Opportunity Centre, our most fantastic pre-school for children with disabilities and learning difficulties.

Expect legendary Northern Soul DJ Terry Hendrick of the Soul Pressure sound system to be spinning tunes between bands, and the bands are, a reunited, I believe, Killertones, the perfect ska outfit of Cath and Gouldy from Sound Affects and the Day Breakers, who are stalwarts on the local scooter scene. Those trusty Roughcut Rebels, who never fail to bring the party with them, as is their era-spanning repertoire of anything from swinging sixties to Britpop.

The other locally-based act is perhaps the wildcard; Trowbridge’s 41 Fords play with all the vigour of ska, but are decidedly more rockabilly with a dash of scrumpy & western folk. We fondly reviewed their debut album Not Dead Yet, last month. Here’s a shining example of what I mean about the congenial and welcoming mesh of subgenres you’ll find at Devizes Scooter Rally, see, rude boy? There were no mockers in eras past, they’d have been fighting each other! Thus the scenes merge and it’s a one love happy aura for everyone to enjoy as, which is ironically the entire ethos of reggae and soul in the first damn place!

And reggae I’m certain you’ll find there, of the boss variety of yore, predominantly, and of course it’s predecessor ska, which though saw a second generation influx through Two-Tone in the eighties, thrives today on the scene. Now, if you know me, you’ll know I’m something of an aficionado of this, and seen many a great ska band; Orange Street, named after the location of Duke Reid’s legendary Kingston studio, Studio One, are one of the tightest ska bands I’ve witnessed, blowing my socks off at the inaugural Devizes Scooter Rally in 2019; having them return is the icing on this cake.

Going in blind for the last two in the line-up, first, Sharp Class, with a corporate identity akin to The Jam causing me to ill-conceive it would be an old bunch of mods knocking out Jam and Merton Parkas covers. Rather this young, fresh-faced London-based trio have a sharp image, hence the name, and original songs grounded in realism and spattered with an English essence. Merging punk and soul into power-pop and Britpop, they claim. They’ve recently released a debut album “Tales of the Teenage Mind,” and are set to tour Boston this month, but you can say you saw them in Devizes!

And the Butterfly Collective, Southampton based ska, soul and mod covers and originals five-piece, heavily influenced by The Who and the Mod/Rock fraternity including Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene, Kinks, Small Faces and The Hiwatts. They have become a renowned band within the Scooter and music scenes across the U.K. Being The Devizes Scooter Club tend to evaluate their lineup based on past experience touring other rallies, I’m assured we’re in good hands, and this weekend will deliver a damn fine spectrum of entertainment to get you snapping your braces and skanking up the Whistley Road!

Now, if you’re thinking where the catch might be, it’s only your two-tone trouser suit, with a weekend wristband at just thirty notes and cheaper day options, you’ve got to hand it to Devizes Scooter Club for maximum dedication to making this jumping jiving rally affordable and irresistible.

Prior to skanking up Whistley Road, the club’s base at The Cavalier in Devizes sees Slade tribute Sladest on May 13th, and following the rally, Bristol’s big boss sound of Ya Freshness and the erm, aptly titled Big Boss Band will make their Devizes debut on Saturday September 9th. Self-styled rude boy Ya Freshness has worked with two-tone’s best, from the likes of Neville Staple, and made groundbreaking original work with Bristol’s retrospective reggae greats through his label Strictly Rockers. If you recall my radio show on Boot Boy Radio, those shout-outs were by this absolute legend.

Then, on 28th October it’s the mandatory skalloween night at the Cavy, with ska band Skamageddon, and the club see of 2023 with a NYE party. Though as I said, there’s a welcoming atmosphere for those with a passing interest, local scooter enthusiasts should contact the club for ride-outs, social get-togethers and beanos to other rallies and clubs are organised. So get up on your feet, put your braces together and boots on your feet, and give me some of that old moonstomping!   

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