A further round-up of responses to the album…

Whisperinandhollerin did a very cool feature on us last year, but as it’s a site with numerous different writers we didn’t take it for granted that the album would be received equally well.  We were therefore overjoyed to read this nine-out-of-ten review:

“Erudite and devious, intelligent and mischievous, Lupen Crook’s songs of modern day dirt and decay have the sort of resonance that has stood London’s best singer/ songwriters from Ray Davies to Peter Perrett in such good stead along the way…  In our bland X-Factor-endorsing world, we need cocksure bastards of this calibre to vigorously shake things up.”

Rock ‘n’ Reel’s R2 magazine was similarly enthusiastic, giving the album a thoughtful and measured four-out-of-five review:

“… his lyrics are pithy and elegant.  In fact this raggle-taggle dandy has just what one craves each time one faces a review: wit, articulacy, invention, a keen ear.”

Craig Haggis of Porky Prime Cuts praises the effort that went into the press package.  Thanks Craig, we wrote and designed that ourselves… we ARE the record label!

“The Pros and Cons … is a challenging album, consuming the sounds of the Balkans, musical theatre and the New Wave of New Wave, not always deliberately. It ends up as a stir fry using leftovers and flavours that clash, providing a 41-minute dish that both sparkles the tastebuds and leaves you feeling bloated. I can think of the Libertines…  in using intelligence with pace; glamour with individuality.”

Pierre’s review at La Blogotheque has tested our rusty schoolboy French to its limits.  Even with the help of Google Translate, we’re none the wiser.  If you’re more au fait with the French tongue than us, check it out.

Subba-Cultcha covers all bases, describing the album as “a sort of slightly forceful folky pop rock”.  Mind you, the reviewer also compares the German passage in Sleeping Lions to an excerpt from  a Hitler speech.  We respectfully suggest that he translates it!

“The thing with this album is half of the songs are brilliant and the other half are distinctly average, making makes this album more lopsided than a table with only two legs. Fans of Lupen Crook’s earlier work will love this record and everyone else will love half this record.”

Over at Velvet Coalmine, Rhian Jones subjects the album to a characteristically rigorous analysis, picking up on its themes of “the crooked, the feral, the raw, the hopelessly romantic” and concluding that:

“The Pros and Cons of Eating Out… maintains the same dignified distance from the mainstream and the metropolis which granted Crook’s debut a distinction from the post-Libertines litter, and which continues to set him apart from his peers.”

Finally, congratulations to The Medway Broadside on its launch yesterday.  What better way to celebrate than with a Lupen Crook album review?

“Somehow, Lupen Crook has managed to blend so many different genres and styles into one and, in doing so, created something rare, inimitable and simply outstanding.”

Can’t say fairer than that.  Hg x

The tour kicks off in earnest tonight in Bristol and the guys are looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it.  For those like myself who can’t be there (I’ll be joining them from Sheffield onwards), here’s the next best thing – footage of Sleeping Lions being performed at The Cellars in Eastney (Portsmouth) last Friday night.  A great gig in a lovely venue, hopefully the template for what’s to come tonight and over the next couple of weeks.

Dorothy Deserves is released in exactly two weeks’ time!  We’re now offering pre-orders via the website shop… CLICK HERE.  This limited edition CD is only available direct from us, either at gigs or via the website.  The single will be available on download (Bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, etc.) from the release date onwards.

The single itself is the Howie B alternative version of the track, subtly different to the version on the album.  This is essentially the version you’ve been hearing at the gigs since the Summer.

On Statement Of Dyscontent, My Crook delivers a barrage of  dissatisfaction with… well, what, exactly?  Music?  Fashion?  Life?  You decide.  If you can keep up, that is…

Kid On Fire was recorded during the original sessions for The Pros and Cons of Eating Out.  You’ll have heard this one being played at gigs during the first half of 2009.  A meaty slice of funk rock that slowly descends into Hammer Horror madness…

Teddy Fucker is from the penultimate album recording session.  Live appearances of thing song have been rarer, though the eagle-eared will also have heard it last year and Mr Crook has played it solo a couple of times since.

Get those orders in!  We hope you enjoy it.  Hg x

The latest issue of Artrocker Magazine is now available and its covermount CD includes Sleeping Lions, from The Pros and Cons of Eating Out.  Artrocker’s a great magazine – I’d say that even if they hadn’t given the album a five-out-of-five review – and well worth a read.  If you can’t get hold of a copy locally, you can order it online from their website.

While I’ve caught you in a buying mood, have you got your copy of the album yet?  You know you need it…  And if you’ve already bought it for yourself, maybe it’d make a great Christmas present for someone?  Copies are available direct from us on the forthcoming tour, via mail order here and even from high street stores.  Your support is, as ever, gratefully received.

Hg x

Dorothy Deserves (Howie B alternative version) will be released as our next single on Monday 6th December 2010.  It will be available primarily on download, with a limited edition CD (only 100 copies) available via mail order and at gigs.

The single is backed with Statement Of Dyscontent, a short spoken word piece, and Kid On Fire and Teddy Fucker, two songs that were recorded during the same sessions as the material on the album  The Pros and Cons of Eating Out.

The video for Dorothy Deserves was directed by John Bland of One Eyed Monster Productions.  We hope you enjoy it!  Please share this little slice of one-eyed, crooked madness far and wide to help Dorothy get what she truly deserves…

Amongst many other things, I’ve been shooting video footage like a demon over the past few months.  Much of it has lain gathering dust, due to the impossibility of trying to divide thirty-six hours of work amongst twenty-four every day.  (Sleep?  Pah!)  But then Fizzer Rippon got in touch about a podcast he’d put together from our recent Crooked Family night of Fight Folk in Medway and that was the kick up the arse I needed.

Fizzer and his colleague Grace Bell present a regular show on Radio Sunlight, a local community station in Gillingham.  They approached us at the Lounge on the Farm festival over the Summer, asking if the band could come into the studio for an interview and session.  Everyone was enthusiastic, but the logistics of work commitments, London residences and the price of train tickets were against it.  Bluntly, shit got difficult.

We invited Fizzer and Grace down to the Beacon Court to do an interview there.  I also suggested that, as we had such faith in the line-up we’d put on that night, they cover the whole evening and talk to the other bands too.  This they duly did.  In fact, the other bands made a better job of it than we did… circumstances on the night meant that our interview had to be postponed.  Crooked Family being Crooked, etc etc.

Fizzer’s podcast of the night’s interviews is online here.  And what a joy it is.  Dave, we think you’re a cunt too (but we’re glad it was a “proper gig”).  Tomb & co, we await your descent into My Drug Hell with eager interest.  Chris and your fellow Singing Loins… the only decent response is: Grand Godfathers.  We urge you all to listen to this podcast… such a beautiful record of a wonky night.  And the guy at the end…

So, here’s some video footage of the other bands that night.  I did also video Crook & Co, but not for very long.  My muse Stella was calling, there was dancing to be done… Mrs Lucy Langridge encouraged me into the mosh pit and there was pogo dancing of a kind probably most unseemly for a man of my advancing years.  And then afterwards the Fight Folk began in earnest… but that’s not a story we’ll be recounting here.

The Flowing - [title unknown]

The Sans Pareil – Shack Rave

The Singing Loins – Please Take My Scissors Away

The Crooked Family sends its love and respect to The Flowing, The Sans Pareil, The Singing Loins and all who attended.  This night was one of the highlights of our year.  Our first hunt completed, we’re blooded and eager to return to the chase.  We’re already debating venues & line-ups, mixing Crooked concoctions like mad professors crazed on moonshine.  Expect further “Crooked Family Presents…” evenings to come.

Your dysloyal servant… Hg xx

PS – if you want a downloadable MP3 of the podcast to listen to offline, right-click / ctrl-click here.

We’re starting to read press and online responses to The Pros and Cons of Eating Out . . .

The first review that we received was a resounding five out of five in Artrocker magazine:

“It’s like taking Noah and the Whale, mistreating them in a grotty cellar for four years and forcing them to listen to nothing other than white noise and screaming cats.  As a result, each song on the record smacks of carnage, chaos and evil genius… a twisted masterpiece of confusing tempos, mammoth choruses and venomous lyrics that combine in haste to drag you down into the darkest corners of life.”

The Leeds Guide swiftly followed suit with a four out of five assessment:

“It’s the sound of a lonely soul set on fire by a baying mob of heretics. It’s the sound of grubby fingers on an antique piano. It’s the sound of grittiness, gak and the fear. It’s a good sound though, provided you have the stomach for such squiffy salubriousness.”

Elsewhere in the mainstream press, the reviewer for Uncut magazine seemed unconvinced, labelling the album “plodding polka punk” and dismissing Mr Crook as “just a naughty boy”.  We had to chuckle at that… cue lots of  “He’s not the Messiah” jokes.  (We’ll show you a rejected album cover idea one day – he very nearly was!)

NME didn’t seem to know what to make of things, bemoaning the fact that by not fitting into any particular ‘scene’, Mr Crook is always “the lone wolf at the back of the pack”.  We loved the description of  “enraged musings on the human condition delivered with Crook’s inimitable spitting tongue” but were somewhat mystified by the conclusion that the album is “introverted bedroom listening”.

Grassroots online reviewers seemed less concerned by subtleties of genre.  Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot gave it four out of five:

“… aimed at the dark underbelly of the human psyche, sometimes romantic and ocasionally introspective but always sharp as a tack, musically it veers wildly from soft ballad to violently chaotic, sometimes in the same song… a remarkably cohesive album and the different styles and influences within only serve to make it a more captivating and breathtaking listen.”

Over at Garsdale Spartak, Chris Lilly focuses on the band’s musicianship:

“there’s pots and pans and hubcaps being bashed everywhere, and chaos and noise and wild, and then there’s a guitar coming out of the riot that is filigree and bell-like and truly beautiful… They all support and sustain Lupen’s phenomenal song-writing, angsty, visionary, compelling. It isn’t always comfortable in his world, but it’s never dull.”

On Creative Boom*, Andrew Day presents a lengthy and perceptive analysis of the album’s themes:

“A ragged, eloquent album that rages, despairs, lusts and ultimately finds an uneasy solace in the understanding arms of friends, lovers and fellow misfits… more than anything, this is an album born of  a gang mentality sense of community and of a growing sense of artistic maturity.”

We’ve also spotted a couple of album launch gig reviews.  Ben Homewood, writing for The Fly magazine, was impressed by last Friday night at The Flowerpot:

“There is much to admire in Lupen Crook, unconcerned by the industry’s vacuity, they are a throwback to a time before blogs, hype and fashion ruled the roost.  A proper Friday night out.”

Punk Rock Ist Nicht Tot were back for more at the Medway album launch:

“Tonight the more intricate folk aspect of Lupen Crook’s songs takes a back seat in favour of the more energetic punk element for the live experience. That’s not a bad thing though, the set is electric and the band are on fire.”

More to come, we hope!  If you’re one of the online reviewers we sent the album to a few weeks ago, be sure to let us know when you’ve published your thoughts.

* a week or so after this was published, Creative Boom took the decision to delete its regional hubs and so this review is no longer online.  Instead, click the link provided for a screenshot of the review, then right-click / ctrl-click and save to your own computer to be able to read it properly.

This is Part 2 of Lupen Crook’s press release statement regarding the title, themes and artwork for The Pros and Cons of Eating Out.  Part 1 can be found here.

“The point I make with this painting is that – whether or not for some this is pure fantasy, or nightmare, or in fact reality – it is part of our instinctual desire to connect with others.  The anonymous individuals in the picture are all joined.  There is no break in the bonds that hold them together.  Anonymity exists not through fear of being revealed, or to hide who these people are or what they are doing.  It is simply that they have no need for names, dates, status, language – they are free, and they also are as one.  Say what you will, but this is where my journey has taken me to date.  The next chapter of this tale will surely reveal more – perhaps even contradict this ideal or opinion entirely – but that this episode has been lived means that it is living – it is real.

“I am fascinated by connections and contradictions.  Amongst most of the people I’ve met by chance, from the slick city white collars to the street slum wanderers, the nervy indie kids to violently inclined chav gangs, it seems that a feeling of disconnection paradoxically connects them all together.  Even though they have often pitted themselves against each other, it is as though we have all been separately downtrodden by the ‘tricks’ that have been played upon us by industries and authorities.  It is here that I have discovered my inspiration, where I have managed to make my own connections, if only on one to one basis. The consequences of my impulsive misadventures have revealed both treasures and terrors about this place we live in, the person I am and the effect of my actions on those around me.  I have documented these as honestly as possible.

“As a songwriter, as a band, as a Family, these twin concepts of honesty and truth – however subjective – are important to us, regardless of where they lead us.  This is simply because, for us, creativity must have no boundaries.  For any idea to be given its full due, it must be allowed to roam free and discover itself naturally.  As a songwriter I have taken myself on a voyage of discovery and misadventure.  I have willingly allowed ‘the moment’ and my natural impulse – however frowned upon it may be – to envelop me entirely. With these experiences in mind, this assessment of The Pros and Cons of Eating Out has been formed.”

The Pros and Cons of Eating Out is released on Monday.

A brief reminder, should any be necessary, that we have two album launch gigs coming up in London and Medway this weekend.  If you’re in London, get yourself down/up to The Flowerpot (halfway between Kentish Town and Camden tubes) for 9pm on Friday.  This is a free gig and there are no support acts, so be there early to avoid missing out.

On Saturday night we head back down to The Medway Towns for a Crooked Family evening of Fight Folk at the Beacon Court Tavern in Gillingham.  More details in a previous blog post here.  We immodestly think it’s a fantastic line-up and hope you agree… don’t miss the support acts!  The album (and other merch) will be available on both nights.

In other news, we’re receiving positive feedback about the album, which is great to see.  Box sets were dispatched yesterday and we’re up-to-date on all other online orders.  Tour dates for November and December are filling out nicely (check the sidebar).  We’re also working on the next single release, Dorothy Deserves, due early December.

No rest for the Crooked, but we’re enjoying every minute.  See you soON?  x

PS – thanks to everyone who’s supported Jenny.  Keep those votes coming!

As we began the promotional campaign for the album a couple of months ago, I asked Mr Crook to explain its title, themes and artwork.  I included the results in the press release that we issued.  With the album’s release date almost on top of us, I thought it’d be good to put these words in front of a wider audience…

“Like everything in this life, to get the full picture one cannot rely on a single viewpoint or perspective; multiple layers can and should be explored for consideration.  There are Pros and Cons to everything in life.  Nothing is straightforward… nothing of interest, anyhow.  “Eating out” is living outside of your safety zone, being the explorer, the peasant jester, the adventurer.  As a writer, my job has always been to report back my findings.  Along the way I have met many people, some crooked, some straight, some cruel, more often kind.  What I have discovered is that every single person, if the right circumstances present themselves, will happily give themselves up to that animal instinct that burns beneath us, dormant inside of everyone.

“This can, should and probably will at some inappropriate moment come to the surface.  I say take control; learn about these instincts, because that is where the truth of oneself lies.  So too lies the reality of having to return to ‘this world’, the world with its restraints, its etiquette, its anti-instinct.  The safe and constrained environment that we have allowed to form is stupefying us, frightening us into believing that ‘this’ or ‘that’ is wrong or dangerous, when in fact these things are often  natural; more often than not, extremely instinctual.

“Some might look at the artwork that forms the front cover of this album and see something offensive: a depiction of an orgy – the type of thing that happens behind closed doors, dirty, unclean, demonic and sinful.  It is an orgy, true enough, but aside from the fact it looks like damn fine fun to me, it stands for what I am interested in: it is a celebration of not only sex but also the electric energies that can and do exist between people and which reveal what lies beyond the surface, the real feelings that possess us.  On this album, I have revealed myself.  These are my findings, my feelings and interpretations of experiences I’ve had.  This image quite simply encourages the ethos of truth.  That truth can be simultaneously invigorating, uncomfortable and mischievous… that’s no bad thing.”

Part 2, exploring connections, contradictions and anti-authoritarianism, can be found here.  x