How many times have you said of a band ‘What on earth happened to them?’

You may well say the same for Dodgy. After their phenomenal success with songs like Good Enough and Found you and the huge selling album Free Peace Sweet you would have thought they’d got a grip on the whole ‘popular’ thing and we’d hear from them pretty soon. Not so; it all went pear shaped when lead vocalist Nigel Clarke split from drummer Matthew Priest and guitarist Andy Miller. But the ‘Mighty Dodgy Vibe’ has never been about giving up. The remaining two have recruited three new members, including David Bassey as a replacement vocalist. Dodgy’s lyrical talent was always founded in Matthew Priest so we shouldn’t worry about a lack of good songs. The band have been writing new material over the past couple of years and they are now ready to re-launch themselves. This isn’t going to be easy, it seems that everybody but loyal fans have forgotten about them and they have no record label as yet. The ‘Dingwall to Dingwalls’ 21 date tour is their way of showing people that they are still alive and kicking.

I went to the gig with a certain amount of apprehension; surely without the vocal talent of Nigel Clarke the Dodgy sound would be completely changed? I need not have worried. Of course, David Bassey’s voice is not the same as Nigel Clarke, but even the old and familiar material they played was not spoilt by the change. David Bassey’s secret lies with not trying to be Nigel Clarke, he added his own touches to classics like Staying out for the Summer, So let me go fa, In a room and If you’re thinking of me and nothing was lost in the process. The band also played some new material which sounded promising but like all new songs will probably take a bit of getting used to. Part of this resurrection as a five piece is about dis-owning songs like Good Enough, which were engineered purely for chart success. Somebody shouted it to them at the gig and David Bassey said ‘No, I refuse to sing it!’ This incarnation of Dodgy is returning to its roots.

I think it is great that Dodgy are prepared to play these small venues (and they don’t come smaller than this?) to get themselves recognised once more, they need all the support they can get to raise funds for a fourth album. The new single Feather cuts and Monkey Boots is out now available from HMV. If you want to know more about the band and what’s left of the tour then go to www.dodgy.co.uk., and a free download of new track Vision is available at www.mudhut.co.uk.

Jeff Nottingham

Live Reviews
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