Issue 29 / Dec 2012/Jan 2013

8
Bido Lito! Dec 2012 / Jan 2013
There are times when working as a music journalist feels like
anything but work. As I await a phone call from arguably the
nation’s favourite Scouser, this is definitely one of those times.
CRAIG CHARLES has been in the public consciousness for a quarter
of a century, in a variety of guises - from cult TV to Corrie, poetry
a new generation of fans: “We deal mainly with golden era black
American music, but most of those guys are passing away or have
passed away. For this album we concentrated on the response
to that golden era here in the present. It’s no surprise that the
two most successful artists of this century, Amy Winehouse and
Out of this scene came a rare national success for black
musicians from Liverpool, when The Real Thing topped the charts.
Only The Christians have come close since, a fact Charles finds
baffling: “It’s been a disgrace. In the 80s there were so many
bands from Liverpool in the charts - Echo & The Bunnymen,
to playing records.
He’s the man
Icicle Works, Teardrop Explodes, OMD,
who educated this Kent teenager
about real Liverpudlians, beyond
the plastic stereotypes portrayed by
Harry Enfield and Brookside.
As presenter of BBC 6Music’s
longest-running and most popular
show - The Craig Charles Funk and
Soul Show - Charles has been
responsible for getting the Saturday
night party started for over a decade
now. After calming my fanboy nerves
with a simple “How’s it goin?”, he
reveals how the show’s success has
taken him completely by surprise:
“I thought it’d be this curious little
niche programme on a niche station,
but I didn’t care as it gave me the
chance to play the records that I
loved. It’s amazing how the audience
has grown over the last ten years.
When we started most of the 6Music
output featured white boys with
guitars, but we’ve been able to take
it somewhere different.”
To commemorate that growth,
Charles is releasing a compilation, The
Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club, out
later this month on Freestyle Records.
It’s an absolute gem of an album,
guaranteed to ignite any dancefloor.
Flock of Seagulls, and none of them
were black. The talent was there but
back then there wasn’t that much
support. When the record companies
were flocking to Liverpool with their
chequebooks flapping they weren’t
going down to the shabeens.” Charles
has been a keen supporter of Liverpool
talent, inviting the likes of 6toys onto
his show for live sessions. “I’d love to
help put Liverpool on the map. I’m a
fan of Manukah, and I’m always on the
lookout for more local acts.”
A love for music has been a constant
companion throughout Charles’ career.
His first big break, as a performance
poet, was jumping up on stage at a
Teardrop Explodes concert to recite
a less than complimentary poem
about the lead singer. Since then he’s
written songs for others as well as
starting bands himself, including the
fantastically named Craig Charles and
the Beat Burglars, and Sons of Gordon
Gekko. At the height of his Red Dwarf
fame he even signed to legendary
record label Acid Jazz. “I’ve always
been involved in music, but I saw it
as a bit of a hobby. There were a few
times where it threatened to take over,
Press play, start dancing.
There’s
but honestly I don’t see it as work. It’s
a potent mix of classic tracks from
the likes of The White Stripes, Rage
Against the Machine and the Rolling
like I’ve been invited to a party where I
get to choose the music.”
Right now Craig is busier than ever,
Stones, energetically reworked;
with a well-received new series of Red
stalwarts of the UK funk scene like
Lack of Afro and The Haggis Horns;
and a selection of the brightest new
talent from across the world, from
Barcelona’s The Excitements to The
Bamboos’ Aussie funk.
Far from being the preserve of the
old and backwards-looking, funk and
soul is growing in popularity - a fact
I see borne out on a weekly basis
in my view from the booth of the
dancefloors of Liverpool. There’s a
Dwarf just off our screens as well his
continued role in Coronation Street
as loveable cabbie Lloyd. He’s also
taking The Funk and Soul Show back
on the road, after wowing the crowds
at some of the UK’s biggest festivals
over the past 18 months. Alongside
his monthly residencies in Leeds and
Manchester, there’ll be a UK Christmas
tour in support of the album. Despite
his celebrity status, Charles is adamant
it’s the power of the music that keeps
vibrancy and excitement in these 19
the crowds coming: “People come to
Words: Mo Stewart Illustration: Johanna Wilson
tracks that’s sorely lacking elsewhere
the Funk & Soul Club for the music.
in the musical landscape. This second generation soul gives a tasty
Adele, are both heavily influenced by classic soul.” As was a
new flavour to a tried and trusted format - like sushi on a pizza.
young Craig Charles, whose parents rocked to the sounds of the
Charles’ hardest task was trimming the tracklist down: “I’ve got
Temptations and Otis Redding, when all about them were still
so many great records that I want to share. The album could have
obsessed with mop tops: “My dad arrived in Liverpool in the late
featured 19 other tunes and still been brilliant! What we wanted
50s with a couple of quid in his pocket and a bag full of records.
to do was recreate the feeling that you get from coming to one of
Whether it was Ray Charles or Reverend Al Green, our house was
our live club nights on a CD, but we didn’t want to put out a dead
always alive with music. As I grew up and started going clubbing,
album. Over 70% of the bands selected are still playing now, so
I saw there was a thriving underground scene. While everyone
people can still get out to a show and experience them live.”
else was down at Eric’s or Brady’s I was down at the shabeens in
That live element is a key component in bringing the funk to
Liverpool 8 listening to P-funk and Parliament.”
Gig Guide and Ticket Shop live at www.bidolito.co.uk
We sell out wherever we go, but not because Dave Lister is the
DJ. Celebrity DJs aren’t my bag, which is why I love 6Music. Our
station is full of people like Jarvis (Cocker), Lauren (Laverne), Guy
(Garvey) and Huey (Morgan) who are really passionate about their
music, and the audiences really buzz off it.”
The Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul Club is out on 26th November on
Freestyle Records.
Listen to The Craig Charles Funk and Soul show on BBC 6Music
every Saturday from 6pm to 9pm.