"Destroy All Bands" - The New Pirates
I've spent many a wistful moment over the recent years reminiscing about my one and only foray into the the world of 'live performance'.
That foray was as a short lived member of the 'New Pirates' (circa 2002-2004), a ragamuffin indie band, part The Clash, part The Specials.
I've never been particularly interested in becoming a dynamite guitarist, undoubtedly I don't have the skill or the application, but to my mind, chopping away agriculturally at a lump of wood with strings is a means to an end, not the end in itself.
As a New Pirate, I always enjoyed the message, the confrontation and the aesthetic of the band as much as anything. The sloganeering, the customised t-shirts, the lyrical statements and the posturing were all vital compared to how we actually sounded musically. Luckily the musical talent lay elsewhere in the band to hold things all together.
That foray was as a short lived member of the 'New Pirates' (circa 2002-2004), a ragamuffin indie band, part The Clash, part The Specials.
I've never been particularly interested in becoming a dynamite guitarist, undoubtedly I don't have the skill or the application, but to my mind, chopping away agriculturally at a lump of wood with strings is a means to an end, not the end in itself.
As a New Pirate, I always enjoyed the message, the confrontation and the aesthetic of the band as much as anything. The sloganeering, the customised t-shirts, the lyrical statements and the posturing were all vital compared to how we actually sounded musically. Luckily the musical talent lay elsewhere in the band to hold things all together.
The New Pirates
Tokyo BeatboxImagine my excitement therefore at the possibility of a reunion (albeit for one rehearsal day in the summer) under the obvious but excellent moniker of 'Tokyo Pirates'. Discussions are underway and still it sets the heart racing.
Take one rehearsal room somewhere in London, a set list of Beatbox/Pirates classics and the band, reformed for one night (day) only and you truly have a nostalgic experience to cherish.
I couldn't imagine being in a band with anybody else and to be honest I don't think I ever will be. Even in those New Pirates days, there was a collective spark that I truly felt could achieve anything. Having read a fair bit about Tony Wilson and considering the nature of some of his 'Factory' label acts, I'm convinced, convinced he would have loved us!
As it is I only hope I can polish up my hacking to 'Beatboxesque' levels of subtlety for our rehearsal day. Failing that, I'll simply don the t-shirt, swing a guitar round my neck and pogo as if my life depended on it....
Fail better.
Tokyo Beatbox - Maggie's Last Dance
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