Stackridge Friendliness

Recorded and filmed at the Rondo Theatre in Bath on 1st April 2007, this live album saw original Stackridge members Andy Davis (guitar, keyboards, vocals), James Warren (rhythm guitar, vocals), Mutter Slater (flute and vocals) and Crun Walter (bass) reunite for a very special concert which was recorded in both audio and video formats. On stage Stackridge was augmented by Glenn Tommey (keyboards), Nigel Newton (lead guitar), Rachel Hall (violin), Sarah Mitchell (2nd violin and vocals) and Andy Marsden (drums). The set that evening comprised many Stackridge classic tracks, along with a selection of material by Davis and Warren’s later band The Korgis.

Produced by George Martin, The Man in the Bowler Hat continues Stackridge's brand of satiric rock marbled with elements of folk and to some extent, even country. The lyrics are just as witty as in their first two releases, and the poetry glistens with a jovial Englishness that became the band's most identifiable trademark. With Martin's help, though, the album became one of their better releases, as the music rises to the top before the words do, sounding fresher, livelier, and noticeably sharper than both their debut and 1972's Friendliness. Stackridge's best song, "Dangerous Bacon," was released as a single, and it's in this song as well as "The Galloping Gaucho" and "The Indifferent Hedgehog" in which their sound comes alive…