Mudlow

On first listen to the debut album by Brighton’s Mudlow ther can be little doubt as to what/where the Mudlow Country of the title is, the bands aesthetic is soaked in film noir and pulp novels- tales of criminal acts, lost souls and decaying towns fill the corners of this mythic land. In some ways the 13 tracks of this disc make a kind of concept album telling the stories of the characters and places of some murky, rotting netherworld.
Musically the Brighton-based five -piece present an accessible but hard to pin down sound, part Brit R&B, part voodoo blues, part white trash soul with touches of country and a strong influence of Beefheart and Tom Waits running through the entire proceedings. Despite these eclectic influences the band have their own coherent sound, built round the growling soulful vocals of singer/guitarist Tobias,their pounding drums and a squealing, honking horn section.
Following an atmospheric introduction the album kicks off with the barnstorming garage rocker ‘Down in the Snow’ a sort of bastard son of ‘Peter Gunn’ and The Doors ‘ Roadhouse Blues’. From the off ‘Drunken Turkey’s choppy gutar riff and harmonica howls play back up to the songs real lead instrument- the thunderous tribal drumming. Later the scope of the bands vision opens right up, taking in brooding barroom jazz/blues, widescreen country rock and even a couple of acoustic ballads. Of the latter, the track ‘Snowhill Farm’ is probably one of the albums highlights, a haunting ballad reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt and Springsteens ‘Nebraska’, laden with melancholy and ghostly ambience.
Towards the end the band return to their home territory - rhythm-heavy garage swamp rock. As the tale of ‘Spaniel’ thunders to its end, the claustrophobic intro piece rises up in the mix, the windscreen wipers squeak, the night time road rolls past in the headlights…you are now leaving Mudlow Country but we know you’ll be back.

Jules Lawrence
- Rock 'n' Reel Mag march 2007

Jeez! What’s this! ‘50s rockabilly kinda meets Beefheart in a twenty-first century Mudlow mix. Tobias and the boys at their mean and obnoxious best - an up-tempo gritty assault on the senses. ‘Zane Merite’ opens with a heavy guitar riff, followed by some heavy honking, introducing the story of some heavy sounding dude (the living legend that is Zane Merite).
Superbly produced as well, could’ve sounded like a huge mushy mess but it takes no prisoners. Theres a video as well, mmm Zane Merite definitely comes alive! Great thing about these singles is that you don’t have to get up to check out the b-side. Now I like a good B-side and this one hits my E-spot full on. A complete change from ‘Zane…’, ‘Tin Roof’ is the story of a lost love who took Tobias’ dog and moved to the city. The song is set around a funky, easy blues feel with bass, drums and a keen guitar riff that helps soften the blow of losing his dog!

Al Tait
- Blues Matters

"Gritty, absolutely un-PC pub blues sung with a low rasp and roar, guitar as nasty and swampy as you want. Two saxophones - thrust stage-front. Songs were lewd, deliciously so. Like Dr Feelgood given an injection of Detroit soul."

- Everett True, Careless Talk
- Careless Talk

It was a good turn out at the Old Market for another Melting Vinyl gig that promised a good rockin' time.
The opening act, Mudlow, lived up to and exceeded this expectation, with thrusting screaming sax, hollering harmonica, dirty guitars and sleazy howling vocals.
They played an awesome set of sultry blues rock in a a slightly beefheart-esque style, and had the crowd by the scruff of their necks unable to resist a good swing of the hips.
It's the kind of music that makes you want to bark like a dog, and I am certainly one bitch who will definitely be purchasing their album post haste

Onto the headliners, The Detroit Cobras. Again, more full on rockin' to be had but slightly more upbeat this time.
The lead singer lived up to her rock chick image by permanently puffing on cigarettes in between husky vocal sequences - a woman after my own heart, I'm sure I smoked more than I normally would watching that gig!
Anyway, whilst they did induce a lot of crazy moving and rock twisting in those gathered at the stage, and I include myself in this group, I felt their performance, in comparison to Mudlow, was a little lacklustre.
They seemed distinctly unimpressed with the whole affair, but still got a good response. Yet it wasn't quite the snakebite I was hoping for.

Review: Erin Prior
Mudlow and Detroit Cobras @ The Old Market, Hove, Saturday 11th September 2004

- BBC

My favourite album of 2004 is
Mudlow: Welcome to Mudlow Country
28jun04
With a voice like a rarely (although occasionally liberally) greased pawnshop trombone
Mudlow's Tobias wails croons growls and squalls across the lushly criminal sultry seaport
landscape that is Welcome To Mudlow Country. It's their first album.
With a swagger and swing so long and thick they gotta wear it for a belt,
Brighton's Mudlow have become my new Afghan Whigs, my new Nick Cave,
my new Marah, impossible to play loud enough. I want to crawl inside their sound and
drink deep till hammered and slaked then dance. spin,buck,bark and rail along with it before
the next song picks me up on it's gangster lean and shoulders me to the next basement bar.
Bass and drums swingin' beats fatback crisp and cold hot greasy. Drummerman Matt Black
layin' so far back into that drop down it's a G.D. Memphis
miracle the whole thing don't totter and tip backwards on it's big sexy ass. But that Bass! Damn. Paul Beat keeps it all pulled down sublow sonic like a big fine woman's behind the wheel
backin' it up. Brass horns careen and plead and sob and harmonica call the lonely and
lonesome home. For all the raw refined glorifying groove power it's no stoop to roll it back
and lay out in rich cinematic black and white and noir. Tobias's guitar crawls from under it's
own rock and slithers and slinks and solos sideways and frontwards. He chops chunks
scratches and lines out colours in deep blues and orange red, chocolate dark brown and
bright white heat. His lyric work intrigues with Waits-ian leanness and heft rifely populated by characters, misfits, fuckups, frauds, sociopaths and common charmers. My people. Despite
the deceptively dour imagery there is simply an undeniable joy shimmering throughout.
You can tell Brighton's finest love playing these songs. Live I ain't seen 'em and Lord knows
if I will on the otherside of the world but i've been told and I surely reckon they must put out
on of the heaviest shows out. This is frayed sharp black suit Outlaw Music.
Midnight sometime Harvest Moon Chinook Wind Sunless winter cannery dockside.
It's all the same and something bad comin' and goin'.
Each song stands upright alone alright but the soundscape is beautifully frosted
with subtle sounds of running machinery, creaking ships and crying seabirds,
down stairs doors (un)locking and matchlight building burning.
Nothing to distract but to add some stones and brambles along the river road to
catch on the cuffs of your ears and set you to watch where you're walkin' and
maybe LiSTEN where you're goin' for a change. Even to my beat ears it's one of
the best sounding recordings i've had the pleasure to hear. Sonically raw and
gorgeous and mapped out with care. If given three quarters the chance these
damned kings of the south deserve for recording an album this down, this grimy,
this menacing, this star spankin' grand and glorious my world will sleep in
safety and spite. Thank You Mudlow.

Rick Saunders


- Rick Saunders World

One of the stand out tracks on the recent compilation ‘This is punk rock blues vol 1’ was opener ‘Zane Moreet’ by a then unknown band to me - Mudlow. A single track that in minutes had urged me to delve further and find out more about the band and their distinctive take on the Blues… the result is receiving this album for review and being left with the feeling that I’ve found something quite unique, challenging, whilst infinitely listenable (the Mercury music prize take note!). I’ve read comments that their music has a film noir feel which I certainly concur with… it would be like THE THE being asked to produce the soundtrack to a 1930’s - based crime/mystery film. The biggest reference point would be Tom Waits, but whereas listening to a Waits album past nine can leave you awake for most of the night (alert to the danger?) , Mudlow lay your head gently on the pillow (Killing you softly?). For all the lyrical and musical darkness/gloom (lyrics like ‘you dined well on old stale bread / you got a heart condition and you’re pissing blood / Down at the docks they’ll hang you on a peg / and wait for the tide to rise’ from Drunken Turkey) there is ultimately brightness to be found for the listener, much like Mark Lanegans’ ‘Bubblegum’ album (although that feeling did lead me to ponder my sanity). I’ve accepted their invitation and taken my seat at their table…. I wonder what or who’s! for dinner?

Darren Howells (editor-in-chief)

- Blues Matters