Blame Edwina Currie and her salmonella scaremongering a few years ago, but eggs have received some pretty poor press in the last few years. So here’s some good news for all you egg lovers. First a recent report in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition has stated that one of the benefits of eggs is that they make you feel fuller for longer and can prevent snacking. Second and probably more important for readers of this blog is that those fifty-egg-munching-town-and-country-scamps The Retrospective Soundtrack Players have released a new video for their song Real Cool Hand and yes, there’s plenty of egg gulping in the scenes. You can also see some pictures of those at RSP gigs who have taken up the bands fifty egg challenges here.
The band have recently put out their debut album Cool Hand Luke and following gigs with the likes of Frank Turner, Beans On Toast and My First Tooth are due to support The Walkmen in their (and Breaking More Waves) home town of Portsmouth at the end of the month before marching on to the 2000 Trees Festival in July.
UK south-coast heavenly hoe-down outlaws The Retrospective Soundtrack Players first grabbed our attention back in October last year and now it’s time for more. If you’re playing catch up then by way of summary, they’re a group who produce original soundtracks to their favourite films. Their first project was the movie Cool Hand Luke where during the story Luke challenged himself to eat fifty eggs in one hour (see here).
The band are not just leaving their soundtrack inspiration to their recorded material though, as during live shows they are challenging an audience member to eat 50 egg sweets in 3 minutes, the time it takes them to play their song A Man Can't Eat Fifty Eggs. If you fancy the challenge, then you can catch them live during the next month or so in Southampton, Birmingham, Preston, Liverpool, Chichester and a home coming show in Portsmouth. They’ve also been confirmed to play the 2000 Trees Festival this summer.
The Frank Turner approved band also have a new single – the lolloping barn dance “2,3,4,” gang shout, banjo and harmonica rush of Lucille and the Safety Pin. We’re streaming its glorious two minutes and fifty seconds below and you can get it for free together with another song Standing In The Rain (Talking to No-One) by simply sending your email address to retrospectivesoundtrackplayers @ gmail.com. The band state that “If you feel like telling us your favourite film or book, or just divulging some spurious personal information, that would be lovely too.” Now for some music.
Yee-ha! Country boys and gals, it’s your turn today. Just over twenty four hours ago we witnessed the first ever gig of The Retrospective Soundtrack Players. The band was fourth on a bill of four, but the house virtually full to see them play.
Why? Well the reality is that this group of fine banjo, guitar and trumpet wielding farm boys, dressed in muddied t-shirts are not exactly new on the scene. Their debut single Real Cool Hand, which streams below, recently cropped up on a split 7” single with acoustic punk troubadour Frank Turner. It followed Turner’s request for bands to record something at home and send it in to him, the best songs being included as double A sides on his next release. Rumour has it that Turner liked the song the band sent him, reminding him a little of another group he had championed – The Dawn Chorus. One quick phone call to The Dawn Chorus informing them that there was another bunch of lads that sounded quite a lot like them out there led to the confession – The Retrospective Soundtrack Players are a Dawn Chorus side project.
The trouble with side projects is that they often disappear up their own back passage. However The Retrospective Soundtrack Players don’t. They have a concept, which sounds anal, but bear with us for it’s good – they are making original soundtracks to their favourite films or books. Their first goal was to tackle the Paul Newman film Cool Hand Luke, in a country style. An album of songs was written in a week. The results are excellent – from gentle country strums about prison life to high jigging hoedowns capped with euphoric trumpet and lead singer Kyle’s slightly mournful vocal.You won't find any lyrics of the likes of "Oo baby baby take me to the dancefloor," here for sure. Listen to the single and another track A Man Can’t Eat Fifty Eggs below and if you're in London tonight you can catch their next gig at Club Fandango at the Bull & Gate in good old Kentish Town. They also have shows in Bristol and Portsmouth lined up this winter.
The Retrospective Soundtrack Players may be from the south coast of England, but they’ve dipped their toes in the heritage of Nashville and come up trumps.
