Reviews

Every now and then a band explodes onto the musical scene without so much as the courtesy of a warning.

And then, out of nowhere, a band comes along who gleefully reject whatever the rest of the world is doing and just carry on with their own thing.

See Sundae Club, Faded Circus and Big Blue Sun for further details.

Unique

BadHandler is such an act. There is, I am fairly sure, nothing quite like him on the local scene - or even in the national mainstream - at the moment.

But that is not to say that the songs sound like they come from a different planet.

On the contrary, there is something of the familiar to Pete Butler's songs which is quite comforting.

As is often the case with innovation, after a couple of listens, you begin to think that life has always been like that.

BadHandler is a blues/funk/indie/rock act who, for all his talk of suicide and road side killers, will put a smile on your face and set your toe tapping.

A word to the wise: don't listen on the bus. You'll just annoy the person next to you with your fidgeting feet and inane grin.

Pete Butler has had the good grace and wisdom to put four of his songs on MySpace.  I think you might like them.

Pete Butler

Fast Movers

BadHandler's songs are fast moving, exciting instant classic with one eye on a bygone era of rock from the 70s and another on the funkier side of soul.

It's not often that such styles are allowed to mix. Blood has been spilled over much less. But here, BadHandler...well, handles it quite well.

And so 'Killer on the Road' is a fantastic piece of funkery large enough to outwit JK and cause him to seek shelter beneath one of his hats.

If you liked the E-Z Rollers' 'Walk This Land', you might just like this.

Keeping Death on the Roads

'Suicide Highway' meanwhile is a honky-tonk masterpiece, as much reminiscent of the theme tunes to Minder and, more bizarrely One Foot in the Grave as it is of more cheerfully tracks from The White Album.

'Time' begins with a Pink Floyd referencing ticking clock before diving headlong into 70s rock infused indie - with a twist of the prerequisite funk.

Stick The Eagles, Gene and the cast of Hair in a blender and this is what you'd get.

Finally, 'Give Me Patience' adds the blues to all the above. It's an exciting, fast paced song designed to blow your mind with a deferential not of the head towards BB King.

Words

Lyrically Pete Butler's songs explore themes of finding oneself and an impatience to move on.

While 'Killer on the Road' is less of a song than a list of potential locations of a homicidal psychopath, there is more depth in the other three songs currently available on MySpace.

The second track's lyrics make a comparison between someone who will waste your time and emotions and the suicide highway of the title, a more dramatic sounding version of a one way street or a cul-de-sac.

Meanwhile, 'Time' and 'Give Me Patience' are all about wanting to move on: "Time won't wait for me" is the mantra repeated throughout one song.

This could easily be adopted as his motto.

Fully Formed

The joy of BadHandler is that he has a sound which is fully formed and fully his own.

There is no sense of nervousness in these songs, no sense of experimenting with an evolving sound, of finding his feet.

Listening to him, he could have been doing this for years. By rights, these songs shouldn't be on MySpace at all.

He should be on his third or fourth album. He were right: time won't wait for him.

BadHandler is a funky, funky delight from beginning to end. From the cooler than thou basement bar sounds of 'Killer on the Road' through to the blues infused smokiness of 'Give Me Patience', this musician is what ears were made for. 

This article is an external contribution and expresses a personal opinion, not necessarily the views of the BBC.

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If you're involved in the Gloucestershire music scene and you would like Stephen to review your music, please feel free to get in touch. Either email gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk or send your album and a bit about yourself to:

BBC Gloucestershire Introducing...
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 1SW

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