N.M.E.
July 15, 1978
Softies
by Ian Penman
Maureen And The Meatpackers were a Cambridge band who crowned a performance at one of that fair city's annual collegiate May Balls by chucking freshly-roasted veal cutlets into the audience. The reaction of this audience -- upper echelons of Britain's educated -- was something to witness, I'm told.
The Soft Boys, certain parts of whom blossomed forth from these unspeakable Meatpackers, are keeping -- all things being relative -- a low profile at this year's May Ball (rented-suite a go-go; corny "Rock" discotheque jiggling in pavilions by the river; things probably haven't changed much since '66; but the drink is free...).
The Soft Boys might win medals, and metaphors, for Low Profile. An inconsciously studied avoidance of "image". A sense of honesty and right-angled humour prevails.
Formerly Dennis And The Experts (who included, fact-fans, Charlie Gillet's brother Alan Lamb, on guitar), The Soft Boys are, presently, Robyn Hitchcock (guitar, words), Kimberley Rew (guitar), Andy Metcalfe (bass), Morris Windsor (drums), and Jim Melton (words, harmonica, broken strings repaired). Kimberley has been with them for six months. Otherwise, these Soft -- conceptual continuity by any other name -- Boys have existed for eighteen months or so.
They have just completed a minor touring schedule. Before that, they had been known to play sporadic support dates (notably The Damned at the Rainbow farewell, and Costello at a Roadhouse freebie).
They had no manager, initially signed to an indie, Raw Records (Give It To The Soft Boys, an EP). They are now clasped within the loving arms of Radar. There is a tense 45 present -- "(I Wanna Be An) Anglepoise Lamp"/"Fatman's Son". They go into the studio probably in July, to record an album. Then, a Major Tour.
The Soft -- or three I spoke with -- Boys talk of the single warmly. But they are not entirely satisfied. They could have done better. Yes, but. There is charm, playfulness, wisdom, depth, wordplay (a cerebral Monkees?). An outlook, awareness, quickiness: the prerogative of the self-educated (bias! bias!).
All of The Soft -- what I've heard -- Boys' material is open. The songs are written by Robyn, except "Cold Turkey" and "Heartbreak Hotel" which were written by someone else.
The Soft Boys perform "Heartbreak Hotel" in the John Cale manner. Tense, brodding, what some would call "Gothic". Very immediate. All the songs are immediate. And songs traditionally -- hooks, choruses, that kind of stuff. Like The Pop Group which the Barrett-centred Pink Floyd sometimes threatened to be ("Apples And Oranges" speeded up).
Titles might clue you in: "Where Are The Prawns?", "Return Of The Sacred Crab", "Human Music", "Ugly Nora". The music is metallic, but never heavy. Soaring, bleached (soft) boy harmonies to take you by surprise. The jagged, (yet soft) guitar duets never lose anchorage on the structures of the song(s). Harmonica is the soft (clock) machination which ties it all up, makes it sound risky, indiviudal, positive.
The Soft -- but what isn't an influence? -- Boys come out of years of permutating cross-breeding Cambridge bands. Only one of them has a degree. One other went to college (and left after a month). They have their roots in Folk music. No P*nk catalyst here, son. They're not that "young" -- all things being relative.
Like certain others -- Dury, Costello, Landscape, Throbbing Gristle -- who have precious little to do with the P*nk rink, they have been tarred and aided by the New Broom, sweeping everything under the carpet (category) with equal force.
At least it corners you some attention, if you're lucky. It may be harmful in the long run, or at least, as long as Rock runs. Robyn: "The whole thing about Rock music is that it's supposed to be self-reliant, and it will last five years, until you either fall asleep or find a better way -- grow a beard and settle down."
I mention Syd Barrett, Richard Thompson -- who seems to have found religion. "That's just...that's just his phone-box, I guess". I inquire about a poster sighted by a friend, which advertised the appearance of a Syd Barrett Band at one of the May Balls (after all, Syd is allegedly still dormant in Cambridge).
"No, that's the original Syd Barrett." The original? "Yeah, the real (original) Syd Barrett is about sixty, he's the president of the local Musicians' Union -- he leads a local dance band."
Ah, so. Such is Cambridge! As for the fabled, the Genius Syd nee Roger Barrett, the one of whom everyone has their own story to tell?
Robyn has no such stories. He acknowledges Barrett as an "influence". And Martin Carthy. "They sing in English and I like their guitar styles." Also, Bob Davenport, George Harrison, Richard Thompson. "But I hate laid-back stuff -- which is where Harrison and Thompson often fall down a bit. There's a thin line between being soulful and being dreary. Which is why I tend to be absurd -- it's much harder to be genuinely emotional about something."
He evades my barbs about Genuine Absurdity. I ask him what he'll be doing in five years' time. "Oh, painting and drawing. It just depends how long it all takes. But I'm not setting out to be anything other than an obscure cult fringe; obviously there you've got marketing problems..."
No, he probably wants to be A Star. He's something of a wizard already. Later, I learn from another member of the band that the genial Hitchcock has in fact been trying to flog his songs for years; before the P*nk purge/deluge "people wouldn't have been prepared to listen." I do wonder if they are now (one set of Identi-kit values replaced by another?). It's a question of, yes, Image...
But for the present -- activity, ambition, fresh idea and music which defy categorisation [hoorah!]. Ah, categories, the word-machine-traps of an Industry. Robyn Hitchcock (less so the other members of the band) is not actively hostile concerning interviews, he just thinks they're a bit daft, restrictive. His advice to me: "Take everything out of it [transcript of interview] systematically. There won't even be a 'quote', there won't be any 'quotes' about what it's doing.... Just nothing there at all." And again, "There's no point in talking about The Soft Boys, as such". No substitute for seeing them, hearing them, whatever.
He didn't talk about The Soft Boys, as such. (I owe all the history to Kimberley and Andy). I did talk, quite fluently, with him. It was interesting, amusing but rather irrelevant.
Go on, ask me to put a label on The Soft Boys! ("OPEN OTHER END"!)
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