Bellowhead - Pandemonium – The Essential Bellowhead

*****

The end maybe nigh, but there’s still time for a dance 

Bellowhead announced they are planning on splitting up following two farewell tours one late this year and one next year. This was in response to frontman Jon Boden deciding to move on and the rest of the band deciding they don’t want to continue without him, this I can understand, he is the distinctive vocal sound the group have and they seem to be a tight unit that I guess it would just not be the same. Many of the multitude of band members also have other projects so I cannot see them disappearing into obscurity anytime soon. 

The track listing must have been tough to come up, but does give the essence of what we have enjoyed for the last decade and more. It opens up with some of the favourites (though that title could be given to pretty much any Bellowhead song) ‘New York Girls’ and ‘10,000 Miles Away’ that just make you want to dance. The more vocal based tunes of ‘Farkenham Fair’ and ‘Cold blows the Wind’, all with the true Bellowhead sound that is firmly based on traditional English tunes. 

As anybody who has seen them live will attest to most of the tunes do just make you want to jump out your chair and start dancing around the room. Like the brilliant ‘Whiskey is the life of Man’ a song about the perils of drink and ‘London Town’ which is the last track on the album. It is hard to believe that when then track finally fades out that it is on the final Bellowhead album ever. Every one of their previous albums gets at least a track on here along with ‘Prickle eye Bush’ from the EP 'Onymous’ released back in 2004.

Only minor (and it is very minor considering the wonderful tunes they have left us) gripe is it would have maybe been nice to have one new track to go out on. But then again! as Dave Gorman said "It's a greatest hits album, and a new song wouldn't be a hit yet! so how can it be on a hits album until it is a hit!". Platitudes are wrung out about lots of bands but I think Bellowhead are a band that deserve some, they are one of the best live bands around and have produced a back catalogue that is to be remembered for a while.

If you are not familiar with them, this should be your starting point not the end, get this see how good the tunes are and then get the albums and hear the rest. I think they are largely responsible for bring Folk back into the mainstream, finally losing the beard and sandals image it once had once and for all. I for one would like to thank them for many good evenings at their concerts with their version of ‘Take on Me’ while wearing fancy dress one New Year’s Eve in Bristol certainly being a stuck into the memory.

Now there is perhaps a slight sense of irony that Bellowhead’s last album, released in 2014 was entitled ‘Revival’ perhaps hinting at coming back from the dead and now we are writing about the equivalent of a  musical obituary of ‘Pandemonium – The Essential Bellowhead’ credit has to be given for  bowing out in the manor they are, giving everybody a chance to hear them one more time, so rather than an obituary it is more of a celebration of a life well lead that has given many people a lot of pleasure to listen live at their lively concerts and at home

Review by Jon Cooper and Photo's by Steve Owen (Icarus Photography)

Check Out! the Video for 'Roll the woodpile Down' Below...