Braw Books: September 2019

Friday, 27 September 2019

May The Skunk Rock Be With You, Here's Campag Velocet....

NME, 2nd October 1999

"Nothing can save us! Nothing can save us! Nothing can save us! No!"

Closest in essence to Happy Mondays' uncultured, grimy groove are the last of our 'skunktastic' quartet, Campag Velocet....

Campag Velocet - Sauntry Sly Chic

As fronted by the back(wards)street urchin urban nonchalant Pete Voss, all stripes, pudding bowl haircut and intimidating blank stare - an impressive sight, all lanky frame, restless violence and barked vocals, a scowl and a howl, prowling, snarling, swaggering, stalking (and spitting), marking his stage territory....

Same artwork as incidentally repurposed by Regular Fries

Certainly they were the most traditional skunk band set up, but that didn't stop them being an altogether leaner and meaner (street) fighting machine (and quite possible the most musically capable of skunk rock's 'jamtastic four'), their super tight rhythm section allowing gifted guitarist Ian Cater free reign to unleash countless jagged riffs, gentle jangles, often sculpting towering soundscapes while Voss crooned, yelped and growled, scrawling his outsider oddball lyrics/rants over the top....

Campag Velocet - Drencrom Velocet Synthemesc

Certainly the band were more than just mindless A Clockwork Orange obsessed droogs, as their debut album, Bon Chic Bon Genre proved, a brick and a boot and a clattering delight, one angry mood piece with a wounded heart. (Not to mention guitarist Cater's triumphant, club-confident and understanding Out On The Plinth (NYDX mix), a b-side which really did ride a delicious and faithful deep house groove)....

Campag Velocet - To Lose La Trek

Campag Velocet - Skin So Soft

Whatever happened, come 2000 the new millennium wasn't interested in the forward thinking scuzz that Campag had to offer, their place in the not too distant future far from assured, their much delayed 'could have been ahead of its time' second (and final) album limping into the (far) wider world in 2004. (Incidentally, Rob bought it, having no idea it even existed in the closing down sale of the (yellow) Avalanche shop in Edinburgh....

Campag Velocet - Instinct Tension

Campag Velocet - Vindictive Disco

No denying their second lp 'It's Beyond Our Control' was as blistering a charge as their first, doomed with a sense of defiance, a propulsive growl of a record serving up more of the same genre chewing, inventive, angry sonic assault. Had it arrived on intended schedule its harsh groove – already the emerging, lauded angular modus operandi of American groups like The Rapture – would have been far better received....

Campag Velocet - Obsessed With Gloom

Of course, it appeared far behind the curve, landing without a sound in a vastly changed musical landscape, one dominated by the tight, louche cool of The Strokes and the seat of their pants skallywag ramshackle rattle of The Libertines (who, it has to be said, had a similarly tremendous rhythm engine to power and pound them along as they peddled a far more frantic and darker street charm). This was obviously no place for the detatched moodiness of Campag Velocet and that was it....

Still, we've Youtuber Jeff Honky Collins to thank for a plethora of excellent videos to accompany the cream of Campag (as well as a track by Voss's short-lived post-CV effort The Count)....