Caught in the Carousel

The welcome and long overdue live return of Scotland's purveyors of taste was greeted warmly at London's packed Borderline. For some, it was a bit of a flashback of Alan McGee's now legendary live club-night, The Living Room, with a few members of classic bands from that era in attendance. The night kicked off with gutsy sets from Electric Sugar Children and Edinburgh School For The Deaf.

We were treated to the original line-up of The Jasmine Minks, which is very unusual at this time of revived bands. Many "reunited" bands, for example The Wedding Present, consist only of the lead singer from the original line-up, and in most others, it's a bonus to find more than one original member. It's also hard to believe the number of years that have passed since The Jasmine Minks' run of fantastic singles and albums on Creation Records. Time seemed completely irrelevant as they worked their magic through their set, because they delivered with the same energy and passion that they captured on those early records. They opened with "Veronica" from Another Age, which is about to be re-released on Joe Foster's Poppy Disc. More songs from that album followed, including the superb "Summer! Where?" Jim Shepherd's trademark soulful voice hasn't changed one bit. As on record, drummer Tom Reid took the lead vocal on the beautiful "Time For You," and also on "Poppy White," the title track from last year's return EP (The Poppy White EP was originally recorded in the early '90s, and is available on Shepherd's Oatcake Records). For the first part of their set, they played as a five-piece, including original keyboardist and former Television Personalities member, Dave Musker, as well as Another Age rhythm guitarist, Dave Arnold and of course, the band's long-serving bassist, Martin Keena.

The band then expanded to a six-piece, with the return of The Jasmine Minks' co-vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, Adam Sanderson. One of their most memorable singles is "Cold Heart," on which Jim and Adam share the vocals equally. And so this was the first song they played when Adam stepped up, and the memories came flooding back. It was a very special moment, because although the rest of the band have played together through the years, this was the first time Sanderson had joined them since his departure (he had left after their self-titled second album). With Sanderson onboard, The 'Minks were truly complete. Adam and Jim's voices compliment each other wonderfully, and as Jim puts it: "It fits together perfectly—our voices, the interplay, the duets. You cannot organise that chemistry—you've either got it or you haven't." And guess what? They have it still.

The Mod/punk-powered early singles, "Think!," "What's Happening" and "Work For Nothing" still kick like mules, as does "What's Gone Wrong" from their debut mini-LP, One Two Three Four Five Six Seven, All Good Preachers Go to Heaven. They ended with a two-song encore, which included a storming version of another of their classic singles, "Where the Traffic Goes."

"Upside Down- The Creation Records Story" (which includes "Think!" in its soundtrack, as well as an interview with Sanderson) was released this year to rave reviews, shining the spotlight on that remarkable, innovative and colourful record label. If there is any justice, the documentary will also generate new interest for the label's formative years, and bring to attention the vital part The Jasmine Minks played. When people write about C86 music they show their naivety and stupidity. This was never a "genre" of music; just brilliant records being made, fuelled by the many different styles and ideas that were buzzing about. The Jasmine Minks never tried to sound or look like anyone else from that period, which is why their music is still relevant today.

Check out Jim Shepherd's Oatcake Records for recent releases by APB and Sleepyard, both of which include guest vocals by the great man himself. And look out for The Jasmine Minks' classic album Another Age, which will be re-released soon on Poppy Disc.

Further Reading:http://oatcakerecords.co.uk
http://www.poppydisc.com

Words—Arash Torabi
Pics—Angie Knight

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http://oatcakerecords.co.uk
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