London soul group NEW STREET ADVENTURE seem to have a lot going for them on paper. Legendary northern soul DJ Ady Croasdell asked the 9 strong group to be the first ever live band to perform at his all-nighter event at the 100 Club in its 31 year old history. Photography genius Dean Chalkley also got the band to open his most recent exhibition launch. They’ve even bagged their own monthly event at the aforementioned 100 Club, bringing together live performances and some of the most respected djs from the scene.
All this undoubted excitement makes their debut EP a bit of a let down. It has enough going for it to suggest they’re a phenomenal group in the flesh, yet there’s nothing on record that makes you feel like you’re wearing a sweaty Fred Perry. More like you’re watching the club scenes from Quadrophenia from behind your neighbour’s double glazing. In winter.
Lead singer Nick Corbin sounds as cockney as Paul Weller auditioning for the role of Fagin. It places their very American music in a local setting, with Corbin successfully claiming his Bobby Womack and Curtis Mayfield influences for his generation. I’ll even forgive his banal spoken word intro on Foolish Once More. Just about. But for some reason their debut release never truly lifts off. First track Hangin’ On / Hangin’ Up contains some classic brass stabs and a bass line busier than a millipede but any sense of urgency is reduced when forced, artificial handclaps are added to the mix. On Our Front Doorstep favours a more laid back approach to recount the events of last summer’s London riots. Unfortunately any incisive Weller-esque detached observations are undermined when Corbin tries to solve the problem in a way that feels like a vicar trying to break up a knife fight (“There’s still loving to be found”).
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Strangely, the EP’s second half which introduces a stripped back acoustic approach feels like it works better on record. Here New Street Adventure cast themselves as a kind of Village Green era Kinks covering plastic soul Bowie. It’s great but obviously not what the band are truly aiming for. The fact that it’s recorded so well just emphasises the importance of getting the right producer onboard to capture their dance hall magic.
When they’re touring between now and June you may very well find me down the front with a bag of purple hearts. I just might not give you the record to listen to for the morning after.
New Street Adventure online
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