INTERVIEW: STRANGER THAN FICTION - REAL LIFE VICTORIANA WITH THY LAST DROP
Once upon an evening stormy, as I pondered there before me A quaint and curious band of fellows gathered close within As the rain outside was lashing and the lightning bolts were flashing And the rolls of thunder crashing through the walls so old and thin The leader raised his glass and turned towards me with a grin Quoth the Crowe: “Let us begin…”
Thy Last Drop are as unlikely a group of vagabonds as you’ll chance to meet in Bury St Edmunds – a band of storytellers who weave their tales through toe-tapping tunes and morbid, gravelly vocals. Friend of the band Sivy named the genre 'Victorian Murder Punk', and it stuck. Inspired by Poe, Hogarth and a slew of folk styles from Cornwall to Russia, the band’s songs cover subjects from witch-hunts to insane asylums, grave-robbers to hangings at Tyburn.
I joined Thy Last Drop in one of the members’ place of work, a printing warehouse that he’s turned into an extension of their Odditorium. I noticed several bird cages, various dismembered mannequins, a dodgy looking leather contraption, and Donald Trump’s head in a jar. Ask nicely and you’ll get a demonstration of a 1920s gramophone - in my opinion, a far more interesting audio throwback than the current vinyl resurgence.
Thy Last Drop came to be after singer/guitarist Mr Crowe and accordion player Squeezy met up after years of musical inertia, both having come out of a decades-long drought to discover a desire to play some folk music. They ‘made noises’ for about a year before picking up first bandurrian player Amil (an occupational therapist/heavy metal musician from the Philippines) and then bassist Momo (former founder/producer at Vibe FM), who – after some coercion - each brought their own style to the outfit.
The band is a favourite in Bury, but is more often called out into surrounding areas for gigs. This is partly because Bury St Edmunds just doesn’t have that many big venues, although the newly revitalised Constitutional Club, their old haunt The Hunter Club and a willing Oakes Barn have meant a few more local gigs of late.
B-Side: So, who’s in charge here?
Momo: It’s Mr Crowe.
Mr Crowe: I’m a diva. They humour me.
B-Side: Do you all get on pretty well, though?
Mr Crowe: Yeah, it’s easy. I mean, we’re older as well – we’re not chasing the same things as a younger band. We couldn’t do ten months of tour without dying.
B-Side: How did the band get from anonymous noise making to being booked several times a month?
Mr Crowe: We started out in open mics and folk nights – but we became a bit loud and energetic for them. So we started setting up things and working with other bands and things went from there. We now only try to do the things we want to do.
B-Side: So, the Victoriana aesthetic and matching themes in the music – going largely by moustache here, Mr Crowe, I’m guessing it comes from you?
Mr Crowe: It’s definitely a major obsession of mine. There’s such a dark side to Victorian history. Hogarth was a major influence for some of the songs – I’ve always loved that satirical artwork from the 18th and 19th Century. Then, literature-wise, Edgar Allen Poe and Dickens. When I say my stuff’s historical, it comes from a literary side of history – I want to reinvent the gothic stories rather than reflect reality.
Amil: I’ve learned a lot of history. Even if I don’t learn the words to the song I’ll ask “What’s the song about?” and it’s always interesting.
B-Side: How do Thy Last Drop’s songs get written?
Mr Crowe: Most of the songs get written around a phrase I particularly like and mull over in my head for a while. I write lyrics and melody at the same time – not one before the other. Then it goes to the band, who add twists that I didn’t imagine.
B-Side: Your music is definitely very upbeat for the morbid subjects it covers.
Mr Crowe: Yeah, absolutely – but that’s folk music for you. Folk music’s storylines often have awful things happening, but it’s set to a dance because that’s what the peasants wanted. And that’s what it’s all about: drinking and dancing.
B-Side: Who are your peasants? What’s your audience demographic like?
Mr Crowe: Very varied. We’ve got a bunch of 40-and-overs, but also a lot of young people who like to come and bounce around. We’ve done a lot of festival stuff (Latitude, Maui Waui, Strawberry Fair, Secret Garden Party), so it’s that kind of crowd.
B-Side: How have you found the local music scene? Is East Anglia a good place to do music in?
Squeezy: It’s changed a lot since we were kids. When I was a kid in a band it was very hostile, the punk scene. People were envious of each other and a bit scornful of folk. But since things like Washing Machine started, Bury St Edmunds has had a really nice crowd, very supportive.
Mr Crowe: Although there are some great venues there are certain restrictions – residents, time restrictions – in Bury that can be difficult, especially for the younger lot who play heavier music. But across East Anglia, in Ipswich and Colchester, there are some great venues for them as well.
Amil: We played Oakes Barn recently, which is good - it was absolutely packed. Apparently it was so good that some of the people who just popped in got so excited that they ate daffodils.
B-Side: What?!
Amil: Yeah.
(The band offers no further explanation.)
B-Side: Right, okay then... outside of daffodil season, do you have a favourite venue to perform at?
Mr Crowe: The Coronet Theatre in London. It’s a fantastic venue.
Momo: We actually perform best on a tiny stage, or tent, or whatever it is, though – it’s the atmosphere.
Amil: Anywhere, I don’t care, as long as we don’t mess up.
B-Side: Ooh, have there been any big mess ups?
All: No, no!
B-Side: Hmm.
Momo: You probably can’t tell when we’ve messed up, unless we’re up there laughing.
Mr Crowe: We can tell if we’ve messed up, because our fans know all the words – so they’re standing there staring at us if we get it wrong.
B-Side: What’s the most memorable gig you’ve had?
Amil: The first time I saw Hallowe’en was at the Coronet Theatre. I thought it was crazy – people were naked, wearing only antlers and glitter. I’d come from the Catholic Philippines and thought the UK was a proper pagan country!
Squeezy: We played the International Burlesque Festival, that was a bit crazy. There was someone dressed as David Icke, doing a routine to a backing track of him. It was perfectly choreographed.
B-Side: So you’ve ended up doing some pretty weird shit.
Mr Crowe: Yeah, weird is our remit. Having said that, the one that stands out for me, really, was the album launch at Moyses Hall. It was a home crowd for us, and the resonance in that building is fantastic.
B-Side: Speaking of which, it’s been two years since (debut LP) ‘Tales from the Triple Tree’ was released – when are we getting a new record?
Mr Crowe: We’re working on it. It’s in the pipeline. We’ll be re-releasing our first EP – ‘Dead Drunk for Two’ – properly first. Look out for new material next year.
B-Side: Any idea which media you’ll be releasing onto?
Mr Crowe: We can’t really afford this vinyl stuff. Maybe mini-discs. Phonographs. But come to see us live if you can, that’s really what it’s all about. We try to contain it on a disk, but it’s really all about the mistakes, and the laughs, and the live noise.
Amil: The pressure of cracking cables. The buttons getting stuck. “Amil, you have small hands, fix it!” Ah, the excitement.
B-Side: Who are your musical influences?
Mr Crowe: 80s bands such as New Model Army; Justin Sullivan is one of my favourite songwriters ever. I’m influenced by really dark music from that era. I love Abba, obviously. Also things like Strauss, though – I probably listen to classical music the most. I just don’t like anything that has apathy.
Squeezy: Classical music, of course. My parents listened to a lot of folk music as well. I’m married to a Russian, so there’s also the whole Eastern European/Asian thing going on at home.
Momo: Mine’s very eclectic. The punk scene was my thing, it was when I had my first proper band – not loud punky stuff, more like The Police, The Stranglers, The Jam. I moved to London in the 80s and the whole decade went over my head, so I started again in the 90s. I also listen to a lot of classical and jazz stuff.
Amil: I respect so many bands but honestly I can’t often remember the names of them. Everything I hear around here is foreign to me. Some of the groups we’ve been able to play with have been so great, though. We played with The Thinking Men for Washing Machine and they are so good. These guys also introduce me to lots of tunes, like The Rolling Stones.
Mr Crowe: Oh, god, Amil’s point of reference is amazing. Coming from the Philippines we’ve been able to introduce him to all sorts.
Amil: Lots of British music got to us, but we always just assumed it was American. I told my mum that Eric Clapton was British and she was so surprised. I was in Ireland before I was in England, and it was amazing to see people singing a capella in pubs and things. But then again, in the Philippines, you’ll get karaoke machines in bus stops.
B-Side: I suddenly desperately want to visit the Philippines, so we’d better wrap up. Let’s have the cliché question: do you have any tips for our readers that want to go into music?
Mr Crowe: Just. Do. It. Don’t second guess yourself, just get out there and get involved. Sitting at home going “I’m not good enough” for 20 years is no good. Getting out there can lead to anything. Nowadays around here, everyone’s so supportive – you don’t have to be good!
Momo: What he said with an extension. Do everything. Don’t just say “I’m going to be a rock God”. Do everything and learn from it all, so you can get back to a point and say “that’s me”.
Squeezy: It’s a bit like a foundation course in art where you try everything and then you find something you want to be.
Mr Crowe: Yeah, don’t be a genre snob.
Amil: Anyone who wants to get into music needs to know themselves.
Mr Crowe: As Ashlene said on Big Brother…
Amil: No, wait: you have to know yourself. In particular if you’re in a group. If you’re starting a band there could be lots of personalities and styles. If you’re comfortable with how you are musically and artistically, you can always stand back and let the song writer write the song with no clashes.
Squeezy: One extra thing that’s so important: just be mates.
Listen to Thy Last Drop on Bandcamp (https://thylastdrop.bandcamp.com)
THE LOWDOWN: THY LAST DROP Members: Mr Crowe (lead vocals and guitar - the guitar is arch-top, strung like a mandolin with only five strings – and twirly-moustaching), Squeezy (accordion, manic grinning), Momo (bass, drums, vocals, multi-tasking), Amil (bandurrian, vocals, prancing), Swampy (unofficial member, Carnival Minister and roadie). From: Bury St Edmunds Listen to: ‘Tales From The Triple Tree’ album, CD and download, out now. See them live at: Bury St Edmunds Constitutional Club, 7th October (Fundraiser for Gatehouse with Scare The Normals) Keep up with them on: Facebook - Twitter
Words by Francine Carrel Photo by Towillen.com
