Baby please...

Thee Rum Coves - Debut Album

You know we normally only wind up the office gramophone toward the end of the week but as we've been working away, re-designing our magazine to make it better to look at, read and share, we've found the need to boost our tiring selves with a blast of musical energy. This energy we have found in the form of a recently released CD by Thee Rum Coves, the new sound of Maximum Rock n Soul.

What and what...we hear you say. To answer your first question first we can tell you that the Dictionary of Thieving Slang from 1737 defines a Rum-Cove as a dexterous or clever rogue. Founder and lead guitarist Jake Harding says the name appealed to the band because of the very British nature of it and the link to the Edwardian dandy. The dandy then connects with both the teddy boys with their long frock coats and the early 60s mods. Jake says it's important that the band has 'a style beyond jeans and t-shirts'.

He goes on to answer your second question about exactly what Maximum Rock n Soul means thusly. 'It's like British invasion played through a battered Vox AC30 in a dirty little club in Santiago by a bunch of punks. Born in the laboratory from the DNA of The Kinks, The Sonics, Dr Feelgood and The Buzzcocks, Thee Rum Coves come blasting into your lounge like a sputnik of joy'. Difficult to argue with that Mr Harding!

But what does it all mean? Well, there’s something here for the punks, a little something else for the soul boys n girls and a good helping of yet another something for the rockabilly types. We've listened and we like it though we don't recommend playing it at a sit down dinner with your mum and her elderly neighbours.

But if you are going to rev up that dinner party with this authentic garage rock, it'll be a short, sharp shock. The songs are brief and punchy with more hooks than a fisherman's gala. The simple arrangements are beautifully complemented by three vocalists riffing on love. lust, broken hearts and the government too. All in just 33 minutes.

The band is an international collective hailing from London, Auckland, Santiago and Papakura. They are Jake Harding, Tomas Marin, Jono Goss, Jimmy Christmas and Kendall Elise, whose collective experience covers such bands as The D4, Dion (Chile), Luger Boa, One Million Dollars and The Situations, not to mention a plethora of drunken covers bands, one night stands and other intriguing experiments.

And because we love giving you something we've enjoyed, we're going to enter your name in a draw to win a copy of the band's debut CD if you can tell us which member of the band hails from Papakura. And there isn't much bad about winning a new album full of energetic music. Unless, of course you live in a small house with your mother and her elderly neighbours.

Send your answers to editors@glorydaysmagazine.com with the subject line Thee Rum Coves and we'll see what we can do for you.

And if you don't win, you can always visit our Emporium and purchase a copy for yourself. Or your mother's neighbours.