Chosen by Monk
It’s a new era here at the Über Rock Singles Club as we move to opening on a daily basis, albeit only for the length of a single song… yes, each and every day we’re going to be choosing one song, either just released or sent into the Überverse within the previous week, to share with you, our beloved and faithful readers. As ever, we will be concentrating on independent releases by up-and-coming, often unsigned artists (although that doesn’t mean to say we’ll be ignoring potentially landmark releases from those capable of filling arenas…)
And what better way to kick off this new beginning than re-uniting with an old friend keen to rekindle our acquaintances? Willie Dowling, best known from the excellent Jackdaw4, The Grip and Honeycrack, as well as one half (natch) of The Dowling Poole, who is proving he is no musical simpleton with the irony-filled title track from his forthcoming latest solo album.
Willie told us a wee bit more about the song and its background:
“When I was just a kid – in fact from the age of 16 to 21 – I used to play piano and sing in hotels and restaurants, initially in Newcastle where I grew up, and then in London when I moved there, aged 18. I’d play everything from cheesy standards to Tom Waits and Billy Joel, largely as background noise to wealthy people sucking up soup. I came to hate it, and for the sake of my sanity I quit aged 21.
“During lockdown I found myself wondering whether I could still write a stripped down, piano driven song. To my surprise, I found I enjoyed the experience so much I ended up writing an album, with enough left over for a huge pudding, followed by second helpings, should I fancy a wee bit more.”
The result is highly appetizing: a harkening back to the glory days of Seventies glam ‘n’ roll, with nods to Mott The Hoople, The Faces and even Queen in its rich and luscious delivery, underpinned by that simple piano riff he wanted to capture but enervated by Dowling’s characteristic use of soaring vocal harmonics:
- Willie Dowling And The Invisible Band support Quireboys on four dates in May, in Sheffield, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Wolverhampton and Swansea.
So, hope you enjoyed the first instalment of the new look Singles Club. We’ll be back tomorrow with a slice of symphonic metal from right here in our own backyard, so see you then…