BABY CHARLES were a Brighton based deep funk band … Toby Sendall (Guitar), Simon Hill (Bass), Alex Kirkwood (Drums), Georgina Carroll (Flute), Sigi Beare (Baritone Sax), Lee Nicklen (Keys), Natasha Gawlinski (Tenor Sax) and powerhouse vocalist Dionne Charles. The band’s defining moment was their 2008 eponymous album which featured a much publicized cover version of the Arctic Monkeys’ hit, ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’. Baby Charles’ wild, afro-funk take generated enough interest to make the vinyl parent album sell out in matter of weeks. It has never been re-pressed and it now changes hands for ludicrous sums on the web. Riding a crest, the Baby Charles team went into the studio in 2010 to record a second album … but those famous “musical differences” and other issues meant the band disintegrated, leaving that 2008 album as their legacy.
Now on the 15th Anniversary of its release, Record Kicks is reissuing it on March 17th on limited edition LP and digital deluxe edition with two bonus tracks (digital only). If you know the album, you’ll know that it’s relentless, rough hewn funk from start to finish. Singer Dionne Charles. proves that she was a real contender – straight out of the Sharon Jones school of funk singing while the band knew how to cook!
‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ is still the attention grabber. Other highlights? Well, ‘Treading Water’ has a Latino vibe; while ‘Invisible’ is loose – in the mode of the Meters; but it’s funk all the way – even on the other big cover- DJ Shadows’ “This Time’. The PR people say, “this is a must-have album for diggers, DJs and funk fans.” Wouldn’t argue. Out March 17th via Record Kicks.
