The Blockheads were dragged into the spotlight on the tattered coat tails of punk, but always owed a greater debt to Steely Dan than the Sex Pistols, writes Chris Palmer.
Fronted by arch maverick Ian Dury, it was the rhythmic powerhouse of Chas Jankel (guitar/keyboards), Norman Watt-Roy (bass) and Micky Gallagher (Hammond organ) that shaped Dury’s music hall whimsy into hit songs.
Since Dury’s death in 2000, the band has toured and this year released a new album, Same Horse, Different Jockey.
This Corn Exchange gig was a great opportunity to mix new songs with cherished old (Clever Trevor/What A Waste) The new follow an established pattern (jazz funked Cockney patter), but the album title gives a clue as to their weakness. Vocalist Derek Hussey does a valiant job, but climbing into Dury’s shoes is a huge task. He was a diabolic stage performer, but there was always a half smile in songs essentially generous and comic. Hussey is all flat ironic detachment.
If this gig was anything, it was a tribute to a true original.
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