Will and the People are the epitome of guilty-pleasure-pop. To be mentioned in the same breath as bands like the Hoosiers, this unlikely bunch are surely facing the same destiny.
Fusing their pop ethics with ska bass lines and hyper beats , the London quintet will appeal to teeny boppers and the like across the breadth of the country. Head honcho Will E Rendell is their McFly meets Worzel Gummage lookalike with his scarecrow-like hair, every last strand straightened to the max.
But first, opening tonight is the nonchalant, po-faced Jessie Murphy in the Woods, dressed in what can only described as a dress-cum-lamp shade/wedding dress combination. Accompanied onstage by her introverted, stoney-faced henchwomen, they try to fuse a blend of folk with novelty lyrics aplenty, most notably in one of their more memorable songs ‘Owen Wilson’. It’s a mix that falls short of laughter or musical contentment….’God save Owen Wilson, he’s a lot like me/He had the funny’. Hmm. Tongue in cheek, maybe, but it really doesn’t work tonight in front of just a clutch of rather disinterested people.
So out step headliners Will and the People, looking like they'd just run into a jumble sale, grabbed all they could possibly carry and thrown it on. Take Will E Rendell’s look for example: boots (each coloured in a different paint) ripped jeans with ‘Smoke + Mirrors’ emblazoned on them with marker pen and a red shirt, not your usual rock attire. This, their first night of their weekly residency slot for a month, Will and the People have brought a considerable amount of support. The Water Rats is packed, apart from a small semi-circle directly in front of Rendell.
They begin with ‘I’m not Mental’ then hastily head into ‘Weirdo’. Rendell sings ‘I don’t want die like the smack head on the Jubilee’ with a wry smile, accompanied by the ‘shadey’ Max Tempo beats and the ska tinged bass lines of Stig his Swedish bassist who wouldn‘t be out of place at a Bob Marley convention.
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A momentary gap for a tuning session from Rendell and then straight into the pulsating pop tune ‘Birds’. It's fine, but its their imminent single ‘Knocking’ that’s gets a rousing reception as its Space-esque opening then regressing into ska-Police territory, exhuming the same irritating novelty licks as the Hoosiers, strangulating you with its guilty pleasures scenery. It's more acceptable on its' own terms though.
‘People’ pivots around some uncomfortable rapping from Rendell and the bands usual shifting-tempo cabaret pop-ska creation. ‘Salamander’ sounds like The Police having a sorded affair with latino love-machine Ricky Martin, managing to cheekily rhyme 'salamander' with 'panda.' Do this band really have no shame?
From tonight's showing, it's hard to deduce whether they have enough credence to raise any eyebrows. However, what this band do possess, is a skittish, eclectic array of songs and you should't write them off either. Just be careful if the Hoosiers press your buttons. If so run faster than your legs can take you, Will & The People are coming for you!
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