The Tales of Layton Rakes

When I think back to the first time I saw Star Botherers, I think they still had a The preceding them. It was at Bearded Theory in 2012 in Gail’s Tea Tent – we’d settled in there for the day, I forget if it was the same day when Ferocious Dog appeared there as Gentle Kitten or not, I think it probably was, but I’d heard that Dave – who played bass with FD at the time – had another project on the go, so we settled for a lovely afternoon in the tent and awaited it.

Back then it’s fair to say there was a degree of novelty to the act – Dave played bass and a drum, Bart on guitar and vocals – but right from those days, when non-festival gigs were probably made up of 50% game of bingo, comedy merch like customised tins of beans or condoms, the novelty tag didn’t sit that comfortably when you took in the lyrics and craft of the songs they were playing. Obviously over those intervening years Brad arrived to provide more percussion, then Ellis for some multi-instrumentalism and Joel too. Definitely not a novelty now.

The Tales of Layton Rakes – their second album – is definitely something that is overtly asking to be taken seriously. Layton Rakes a reference to a certain put chain that will loom large in the narrative throughout the album, and probably makes the perfect backdrop for so much of what ails our troubled society in these almost-post-Covid and post-Brexit days.

Here we have a professionally polished collection of songs – there some revisits, 13 Years in Oregon featured on their very first EP – now with more layers and shine, Just Around the Corner and Freethinker get similar treatment – putting down what almost certainly go down as classic Star Botherers songs in the way that they want them to be immortalised in recording, and it works tremendously well.

Of course we have new songs too, He’s Got Dreads has been a live staple for a while, and the contribution of Oddly Excluded for The Pete Drake Project is included too – but there’s also been plenty of new material developed over these very strange few months. As noted and indicated in the title, that pub chain (I’m not going to name them!) looms large in the lyrics, and as ever, Bart seemingly effortless skates the fine lines between cutting observational lyrics and no small amount of charm and of course humour.

Just Around the Corner always encapsulated that for me with their material, and the revisit is welcome and justified – I can well understand the urge to revisit past songs with the vision and craft amassed since it was originally committed to studio time and this works really well – but also as a prequel to Another Lidl Song where we get to catch up with the protagonists further into their story, with an amazingly Lazarus-like return for the mongrel called Bob!

There’s serious and poignant songs too – boosted by a bigger soundscape, and that’s not to say that this is unfamiliar territory, Ferocious Dog of course featured Broken Soldier on their latest album release, originally featured on the debut Botherers EP, here as well as another track FD borrowed in Freethinker there’s also thought provoking and serious songs like Let it Stand, a perhaps unexpected stance on the impending statue of Margaret Thatcher due to be erected in Grantham, and also Silence is Acceptance and Sailor’s Grave.

But fun with an underpinning of sharp social commentary is also readily available – Norton and Kyle definitely fits in the charming and funny bracket, but with the underpinning of shrewd observations. This album is essentially a blueprint or guide for that need for development and advancement in songwriting, musicianship and sound whilst staying true to that pervading original spirit so many of us have enjoyed over the years of watching Star Botherers develop into the five piece band they’ve evolved into.

The album is released on 10th December, with a launch party planned at the Old Cold Store in Nottingham, and assorted bundles of album plus tickets and t-shirts available. So if you’re struggling for Christmas stocking fillers then there’s some solid options available here!