Keshco
History
They've
been around. And about.
Andrew Brain and Robert Follen
have
been playing and writing together almost since they first met at school
in 1994. Luke Sample bided his time until 2001
before meeting Andrew and Robert in Leicester. Today
they
run about on stage for your general amusement. But what of
the
cost? I mean, what of the history?
Old Keshcology
Given the scarcity of official
live appearances, you would be forgiven for thinking that Keshco were a
mere "here today, gone tomorrow" combo, rather similar in stature to
John Nott though not quite as short-sighted. In fact, the first known
sightings of the unit were in late 1994 under various aliases. Through
1995-96 the band went through a period of intense and colourful
fertility during which were ejaculated many golden showers of
tunefulness from the humble origins of a small grey room with a smelly
detuned piano. Most of these recordings still exist on the blackened
market.
Thatcher's Children... Major's Teenagers
From late '96 to '98 initial attempts were made to convert from the
freeform, lo-fi experimental sounds into a more structured and dare I
say, "traditional" unit. No I don't. Never mind. This phase is dealt
with in excruciating detail by
renowned Keshco scholar, Adrian Darvell, in his encyclopaedic tome,
"Welcome To Their Corner Stop". It is advisable that you retain your
receipt in case of dissatisfaction. At this stage, recording was still
limited to various stereo tape recorders and a Goodmans Boogie Box
machine. "Livsey Street" is the best example of this.
How Do You Manage To Be So Unloved By Everyone?
During a 1999 hiatus, Andrew sought fame as half of
acoustic/ambient duo Katie + Andy, who made the Spring someone else's
with
folk clubs and busking. Some of K+A's best work is hidden on unmarked
cassettes, waiting to be found and released into the community. During
this phase, Robert and (then bandmate) Gareth were doing a lot of art.
Spring 2000 saw the release of "Earlobe
Holistics (Part N)", a 60-minute cassette that made a virtue of its own
messiness. The songs, chants and snippets within (some dating back to
1995) were spliced together to create a merciless disembowelling of the
"stream-of-consciousness" technique. Simultaneously, a new
four-piece Keshco unit were re-convening and a pair of gigs
(and two dozen unreleased new tracks) followed. November 2000 brought
the release of a CD, "The Seeds Of
Wom", showcasing Andrew's acoustic songwriting, Robert Wyatt-style
vocalisms, and general social concerns. It's still available, you know.
And if you ask nicely, surely you can get it without paying. Can't you?
It's Still My Perfumed Garden
Through 2001 Andrew was recording songs and playing with Dom Fox,
better known to the world as w/trem, with a brace of folk club gigs.
Robert had also bought a 4-track and was busy filling tapes. At the end
of the year Keshco mutated into the slightly more sensible Bleak House
(including new man Luke) for a run of Leicester-bound performances. In
early 2002, the new
Keshco album "Saplings Of Sop" was released in complete silence. It's
still the fifth-best kept secret on the Web. Despite this, it features
some cracking tracks from both the 4-track and the wondrous Buzz
program, with lyrics again varying from social commentary to absurdist
humour.
Doing the Climate Dance
By the start of 2005, Keshco had a new album, "Softened Fingers", a
collection that veered between synthpop and folk. Hoping to make live
performances a bit more fun, Robert and Andrew started to use
electronic
backing tracks to augment their sound on stage. This had the pleasant
side-effect of freeing the boys up for visual humour and general
farting around, while also giving a better account of their
compositions. Keshco had lightened up. Audiences
seemed to
approve. Luke joined in the fun and, in 2007, things started
to
get more active. In the spirit of peace, love and rhubarb, a
22-minute EP, "Trolley Crash", was released via Dutch netlabel WM
Recordings in 2008. That November, Keshco recorded the first
of
several home concerts for Polish station Vombat Radio, featuring music
and comedy interludes.
Breaking the
Tape
In 2009 Keshco finished off their "Deforestation of Dak" album,
organised a couple of variety nights in London, and, at
the end of the year, recorded another 22-minute EP, "The Power Of Hot
Air". These last two projects featured a more organic sound.
With a huge bank of material at their disposal, latest Keshco projects
include comedy films (Johnny Cocktail, Fwith, etc), and a pair
of
forthcoming
albums which will be released as soon as enough people have got the
previous ones. Also they're chomping at the bit for gigs, more gigs,
good
gigs, and would like to meet all of you. Right now. I mean, what are we
doing standing outside, the living room's lovely and warm you know.
Anyone for doogies?
John Nott is unavailable for comment
Article last updated: 5 January 2010
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