54
PURE M Magazine
Thee Deadtime Philharmonic
T
Review by Dave Simpson
hee
Deadtime
Philharmonic
originally materialised in the South
Derby town of Swadlincote. Made up
of five principal members, as well as
crediting another five additional
musicians, the band have been tirelessly playing
live shows around the UK since their formation.
In doing so, they’ve managed to build up their
own loyal fanbase. This includes Mick Jones,
formerly of The Clash, with whom they have
played live. They’ve also made an appearance on
Channel 4’s Strummerville Sessions.
In terms of genre, they are very difficult to
define. With a rebellious mentality and a
combination of electronics, acoustics, percussion
and woodwinds, they’re probably best described
as belonging to their own unique sub-genre of
punk. You can find several examples of their
work on the band’s Soundcloud page.
“Protected” gets off the ground with a hectic
introduction generated by a convocation of
instruments. These are toned back as the verse
begins with some very British sounding vocals
amid the occasional saxophone blast. The melody
and lyrics convey an alienated, fed up attitude.
The chorus then shifts gears into a riotous
cavalcade. Things take a different turn again for
the second verse, with reggae-esque vocals. The
whole thing is certainly extremely nonconformist in both sound and subject.
The title of “Maggie’s Babies” is a not so subtle
reference to Britain’s Prime Minister of the
eighties. It’s a reserved, disaffected track with
honest, biographical lyrics. The beat picks up
somewhat towards the end, but it carries a strong
sense of fatigue surrounding life and
circumstance all the way through.
“Spine” lands somewhere between the two
aforementioned tracks sound wise. It has a lot of
instrumental and vocal elements at play, making
it convoluted at times. It’s executed with a feeling
of aloofness though, maintaining the restless
quality of previous efforts.
“Bad Lad” commences with a happier riff and
melody than its predecessors. It almost feels like
the light emerging from the dark in terms of
sound. There’s nothing light about the content
though, with an aggressiveness being attached to
the lyrics. It is literally about a bad lad.
Thee Deadtime Philharmonic are certainly a law
unto themselves within the music industry. Their
mentality and attitude are undeniably punky, with
lyrics that are ripe with disillusionment.
However, their sound is not particularly
characteristic of the genre’s norms. The musical
approach they’ve adopted isn’t go [