Early this year one of my friends and colleagues, the reviewer Paul Carrera from local music magazine Nightshift, gave me a hot tip. A new band formed by Ex Big Speakers rapper Tom o Hawk McDonell was doing something unique and original in the bars and clubs of this fair city. We listened to the demo, were suitably impressed, and played it on the show. Ever since then we’ve been meaning to get them in to do a live session but somehow it never came to pass. Then Juan the tea boy came hopping in shouting about the Brickwork Lizards on Radio 1! After we’d calmed him down he told us how The House of Lords from The Young Knives had recommended them on Steve Lamacq’s new show. The cat was out of the bag and I needed to get on top of this situation before The Download was left in the dirt. Fingering through my October edition of Nightshift I located their next gig - it was at The Wheatsheaf. I packed my bag, drank Juan’s tea and set off for a night with a difference… I got chatting to Tarik (an Egyptian oud player) and Louisa (a classically trained cellist) at the bar. They introduce me to their percussionist for the night, an Iraqi tabla player who fled his country 5 years ago to live with his brother in Swindon. I got the gist then that this evening was going to be a real treat. Later upstairs I was introduced Garry, the band’s Scottish crooner, and their rapper hadn’t even arrived yet! What an Earth was this band going to sound like? Fabulous that’s what. Normally in this game bands are let down by the vocalist. Surprisingly few people can actually sing and sing well but in this band they all can. Each voice is totally unique, from the silken tones and tremendous range of Tarik Beshir through the retro lounge-room drawl of Garry Curran to the sheer husky brilliance of Tom o Hawk. The band sound like nothing else around. They have the charm and style of the 30’s and 40’s with the haunting seductiveness of middle eastern music brought bang up to date with the occasional non-intrusive rap elements. The result is a ridiculously seamless and impressive sound that must be heard. And remember you heard it on The Download first, right after you’d read it in Nightshift. Probably. | 
