Drookit Dogs Review

Holy Mother of Guinness, do I love this band! Coming across with all the bluster of The Clash mixed with the cheekiness of The Pogues. Or perhaps Richard Thompson if he was injected with a huge dose of Paul Weller. The British-based Drookit Dogs hail from Brighton and are made up of guitarist/vocalist Matt Oldfield, bassist/vocalist Matt White and drummer/vocalist Alex Kirkup.

Want to blow out all the CRAP you've been subjected to lately, completely out of your body? Head over to their MySpace and point your mouse on that little morsel called "Cradle Song" which is also the first cut on their EP. To complete the instructions for enjoyment, turn this up LOUD! Then write me and say thank you for turning you onto your next favorite band.

"Cradle Song" is undeniably British with an undulating Kirkup drum intro that is the frothy, tall glass of welcoming into the world of the Dogs. Oldfield's several-pints-ahead-of-you-while-out-on-the-town voice sounds slightly familiar, like you've heard him before. Then the steady-as-she-goes rhythm of White and Kirkup combine to power you along this cut while the spare but enticing guitar adds the flavor. I like all their stuff but this song is special!

Following that up on the CD is the more straight-forward "Shut Up", an acerbic lash-back at somebody who is clearly not one the same page as the band. Switching gears suddenly is "Local Shop" which is the Brit-equivalent of Springsteen's "The River", only not so morose musically. Rounding out this stellar group is "I'd Rather Be On A Comedown", which has a sing-along chorus that pins your ears to the wall first time out.

Sadly the EP is not available in North America yet but hop on to their website and you can download these cuts and more. In particular, check out a tongue-in-cheek heavy song called "Female Singer-Songwriter" that's worth a laugh. Do one better, order the CD directly from the band and support a terrific group until they get their shot. Hell if the Boomtown Rats were able to have their moment in the sun, the Drookit Dogs can use them as their own fire hydrant. Yes, they're that good!

MorleyView with Drookit Dogs

OK, if you read my gushing review a few weeks back, you know how much I love this awesome British band. But if you, like me, after listening to their very visual songs, expected some rabid talk from the boys one on one, you're barking up the wrong tree. I did an interview with the band via email this week and it seems the Dogs play it pretty close to the vest. Their answers, like their music, are straightforward and to the point. Read the interview and then check out their site and become as enamored as I have.

antiMUSIC: OK lads, who's who and what led everybody to this band?

Drookit Dogs: Matt Oldfield, Tom Edwards & Matt White. We are all friends as a result of much debauchery and dedication to rock'n'roll in all its downfalls!

antiMUSIC: Once you assembled in your current formation, what has been your more recent history?

Drookit Dogs: Gigging the hell out of Brighton and London. Above all, we love playing live!

antiMUSIC: What's the significance of the band's name?

Drookit Dogs: It's an old Scottish slang word that mean drenched, soaked or sodden. A mate had the idea and I nicked it!

antiMUSIC: Some bands come together because they have something united to say. Others have a common musical kinship that bonds them. Perhaps more just do it for the pints and hopefully a pull. Where do the Dogs fit into this equation?

Drookit Dogs: Matt Oldfield writes the words and usually they tend to tell stories or expound on a general feeling of nihilism, not in a bad way. Most of the songs though dark are humorous and have wit. We also like to drink and pull, but that is very much a secondary issue to the music. We have worked very hard over the last year and will be working even harder this year coming!

antiMUSIC: It says on your bio sheet that you have issued a clear and defined statement on the current apathy that we, in Britain, have succumbed to. Can you expand on what you meant by that?

Drookit Dogs: Just that most people would rather ignore the way things are going, watch The Simpsons, eat pizza and allow their girth to expand until it slowly engulfs them. People are becoming lazier and lazier and the world as a whole is suffering as a result.

antiMUSIC: Tell us about some of your songs. By far, my favorite is "Cradle Song". What came first, the riff or the lyrics and what's it's about?

Drookit Dogs: Well, there is a very early version Matt recorded many years ago that never saw the light, the riff came from rehearsing the song and chopping it all up, then putting it back together, then chopping it up again etc. until we reached a verdict!

antiMUSIC: "Local Shop" is kind of a downer-lyrically speaking. Is this about anybody in particular?

Drookit Dogs: Not specifically, I do put myself in the song but only because I wrote it. It's easier for me to write short stories like that if I imagine myself going through it, it's much the same with Comedown although that really did happen!

antiMUSIC: The undeniable smile-getter is "Female Singer Songwriter". Why prompted this song?

Drookit Dogs: That song has caused as many frowns as it has smiles! It's just a little joke/poke really, we're not misogynists… Promise!

antiMUSIC: It sounds like your live shows are kind of a band/audience communal event. Do you engage your audience in your shows or is it 'we play – you listen' arrangement?

Drookit Dogs: We get as involved as we can, Matt tends to be quite shy between songs but we rock out and we have a very supportive crowd in Brighton who can often be heard singing along…. "at the local shop!"

antiMUSIC: Has there been one show that stands out over all the others at this point? What made it special?

Drookit Dogs: There are always ups and downs but we always seem to have a wicked time at a venue called the Prince Albert which is our favourite! There's no reason for it standing out other than we love the place so it lifts our show.

antiMUSIC: You play a gritty, no-frills style of rock. What do you think about the American Idol / RockStar Supernova phenomenon that has captivated North America?

Drookit Dogs: None of us seem to keep up with that stuff so we can't really comment.

antiMUSIC: Sharon Osbourne. Visionary or hag?

Drookit Dogs: She must be cool, she's married to Ozzy!

antiMUSIC: What is in the immediate future for the band? Is a proper CD in the offing?

Drookit Dogs: Are you offering to record? ;-)