|
| Foocha! is a non-profit Web site. We do it for kicks, not for cash. If you're interested in writing for the site, click here |
|
 |
| Sun Dial,
Scarlet Division |
|
 |
|
| Music,
Richard Young,
15 January 2001 |
Rating: F1
|
|
| |
| |
|
Way back in the early days of Foocha!, we managed to secure an exclusive interview with what promised to be a fresh new band with a fresh new flavour; Scarlet Division. Only those who have been living under a rock cake for the last couple of years would have struggled to recognise the drummer as none other than Jamie Oliver, a talented chef famous for redefining the word “naked” as meaning appearing fully clothed on your own television cookery series.
The rise and fall of Jamie’s band has had little effect on his popularity as a TV chef, but hasn’t exactly furthered his musical career. Scarlet Division’s appearances on shows such as The Priory and The Big Breakfast proved that young Oliver could beat a drum as well as any egg. Sadly, following a less than impressive chart performance of their single “Sundial”, SD have all but disappeared without trace. It just goes to show that a celebrity chef, a couple of session guitarists and a scary looking keyboard player and his girlfriend does not a great band make.
1991 saw the release of Curve’s “Frozen” e.p, and a unique sound was born: spiky guitars, electro inspired beats, apocalyptic bass and Toni Halliday’s Siouxsie-inspired vocals all helped create an edgy, dynamic sound that moved both the heart and the feet. Now, nearly ten years later, and despite the huge success of Garbage and their version of the Curve sound, Scarlet Division now seem like another, watered down version of that formula. Mind you, they are not alone, as the rest of the chart destined bands numbly repeat the patterns laid out by their forefathers back when independent meant just that, holding a modicum of integrity amongst the big mainstream fish of the commercial music sector.
The first time I saw Scarlet Division play live, I couldn’t help the feeling that I was watching the band from the Grange Hill end of term party. Personally, it’s an image that I would prefer to have left in the 80’s where it belonged. So as we look on to 2001, here’s to Jamie’s continued success with his TV cookery, and we can all but hope that commercial music will begin to be more about innovation and talent, seasoned with a pinch of luck and a cooked with a whole bunch passion.
Sony TV
Top Home |
|
|
|
|
