WILL AND THE PEOPLE are the brainchild of one Will Rendle, a young man from Brighton with a vivid imagination and – in his early years – a very real knack for getting into scrapes with the Old Bill.
Thankfully, Will managed to channel his boredom into something more creative and a youthful love of Ska and Reggae led him to forming Will And The People with talented cohorts Dan Lundholm, John Tilley and Alison Brown.
'Knocking' is the first fruits of their labours and it's a good start. Opening with a radio static bit reminiscent of the opening to Dexy's 'Dance Stance' it soon slips into a spacy, pop-reggae lope with a sultry horn section and what sounds like a theremin wobbling around.
Awareness is the key. “Did you listen to the radio?/ do you know what's happening in the world outside?” sings an eerily mellow Will in his high-pitched, John Watts-style voice. Musically, it's deceptive too: the dreamy, Specials-style vibe failing to paper over the cracks of the eerie paranoia inhabiting the song.
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The two remixes are rather less necessary. The Photomachine version is arguably the better as it's the more unsettling and shows the least respect for its' original subject matter, whereas Toddla T's reshaping is more bare bones and future dub. Both are temporarily diverting, but 'Knocking' has plenty going for it on its' tod, thanks very much.
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