Cult West Country eccentrics re-form 23 years after final split.

In the early ‘70s Stackridge won Beatles comparisons for their well worked tunes (two of the band would return as The Korgis). Their anti-fashion antics – dustbin lids, fantasy characters, saintly faith in love – were childlike whimsy to some; affected crap to others. Only guitarist James Warren, bassist Crun Walter and violinist Mike Evans are in on this reunion but to their credit, they don’t try to recapture the past. The music – much of it co-written with the new keyboard player, John Miller – now runs from surprisingly potent pop such as the wonderful 'Something About The Beatles' to the humorous rock of 'Drinking And Driving' via mock Noel Coward and a Hoedown-meets-HotClub instrumental.  The odd gratuitously silly lyric about wildebeeste with attache-cases still tries the grown up patience however.

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Ian Cranna