Dodgy
1996 was only a few months ago, wasn't it?
When I think of 1996, I think of Trainspotting and Oasis and cycling with my friends in the North Hampshire countryside and not being a jaded lump always plagued by thoughts of death. Anyway, in 1996 a band called Dodgy were very popular, and thankfully they still are. Below is my review of their latest single.
Dodgy – 'It’s Not The End'
“They don’t make them like they used to” – a phrase that doubles up as a statement of fact and an irritatingly bland dismissal of progress. I’m saying this because I’m listening to ‘Yes’ by McAlmont & Butler, and the aforementioned phrase popped into my head. I like progress but I also like pretending I’m a teenager in the mid-90s again. It’s a momentary distraction from the fact that I’m a bitter middle-aged man who pretends he doesn’t say things like, “They don’t make them like they used to.”
Anyway, I had to listen to ‘Yes’ again because the start of ‘It’s Not The End’ has a very similar drum beat. So, they *do* make them like they used to! (Be quiet, brain.) However, Dodgy’s second single from their first album in ten years – Hello Beautiful, out on 1st May – is not a euphoric, orchestra-led f*** you to a former friend. Nigel Clark has said that ‘It’s Not The End’ is reflective of an ‘an older, wiser, and deeper Dodgy,’ and he’s not wrong. After that bright beginning and War of the Worlds-like synths, the new single becomes as introspective as a goth in an abattoir. “Let’s not be unwanted, stubborn and afraid / Default factory settings, defeat now delayed” – it’s hardly Lovers of the world, unite! But that’s alright. Boisterous Britpop was just a phase, and Dodgy are here to prove it.
That said, after the new album tour, the band will be performing a series of Free Peace Sweet 30th anniversary shows. Kula Shaker released a new album last month. Five hours ago, someone was trying to sing ‘Champagne Supernova’ as they approached a bridge in my home city. It’s 1996 again! Yes!
‘It’s Not The End’ is out now via a multitude of platforms