| THE BLACK CILLAS
No they didn’t begin life as a mod revival band. Due to unusually high levels of youthful apathy they nearly didn’t begin at all. BEN BARTLETT (bass player) only persuaded ANDREW MALTMAN (drummer) into the band by telling him that their first gig would be at London’s famous Marquee Club (OCT 1985). He forgot to tell him that they would be supporting a heavy metal band with 400 braying fans.
If complete lack of musical ego was the key to their collective personality, then dramatic musical arrangement was the key to their songwriting. Firmly based in the 'three guitars one drum' indie-pop tradition, CHRIS BLUNKELL (singer/rhythm guitar) and NICK APPLETON (lead guitar) weren’t afraid to work with their bassist and drummer, rather than merely regard them as the rhythm section.
With all four members having a creative input, the resulting musical tension frequently erupted into the most dramatic musical passages. Chris Blunkell would scrub at his guitar strings while growling his rather wordy lyrics, his feet stamping across many a London club stage. His almost percussive style of rhythm guitar was perfectly balanced by Nick Appleton’s lead instrument. Hardly knowing his own talent, Nick would stand stock still, head down and just pick out one catchy guitar line after another, seemingly unaware of the beautiful cacophony swelling from the tortured amplifier beside him.
Thoughout all this, Andrew Maltman pounded a persistent rumble on his drums, many of their songs receiving a heavy push from some rather tribal tom tom playing.
During one particular recording session, Ben Bartlett’s elegant bass lines gave extra lift to a very intense song when producer JIM WARREN directed the bass guitar through a lead guitar amp. Nice touch. This illustrates how strongly they all felt about each instrument being allowed to speak for itself.
In 1986 the BLACK CILLAS cut their only seven inch single SEBASTIAN and received rave reviews. Then, only a small band who were spoken about only in late 80s London; now, thanks to the Internet, they are spoken of as a global cult with copies of SEBASTIAN exchanging hands for 15 dollars a time. In 1988, the band were happy to bow out and move on, but it seems the rest of the world won’t let them go that easily. |
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