NOVEMBER 2019

THE GREEN BOOK E.P.

This year has been utterly devoid of gruesome incident and mindless aggression, has it not, with absolutely everybody smiling and holding hands and being terribly sweet and kind and getting on with one another with no disagreements about anything whatsoever. What finer way is there to mark these peaceful days than by lubricating your lugholes with the creamy, oily sounds of Smoking Ant’s best and only ensembles, gathered together for a unique various artists E.P.? Well, all right, there are other ways now you mention it but, nonetheless, we have for you an exclusive sneak peek leak from the next This Little Badge album, as well as the first Babylon Squeak song to emerge in nearly 18 months. DMPH have conspired to let one cool cat out of the hot doggie bag. And Yellowjack have reunited to lament their late friend, the lovely Albie Gibbs (a massive influence, he was namechecked on DMPH’s ‘Jack’s Return Home’ and provided the narration to ‘The Silent Finger’; he was the inspiration for This Little Badge’s ‘Babylon Don’, appeared in Yellowjack’s ‘Half-Life’ video and took a starring role in the Bisonics documentary ‘Drink In The Days, Smoke Out The Nights’).

Pore over the riches contained in THE GREEN BOOK by clicking here.

BUT WHO’S BEHIND IT ALL, EH? We exclusively reveal the identities of the cryptic creators lurking behind the cover of THE GREEN BOOK!

DANCING “DAVE” POPE (This Little Badge, Yellowjack): Living a spartan, Zen-like existence in a makeshift 17-storey tent in the middle of his gold-plated castle in New Zealand, Dancing still manages to take time out from yoga, meditation and studying Eastern philosophies to catch up with old friends who owe him money. He jumped at the chance to reunite with his closest pals in Yellowjack. “Those useless, talentless bastards,” he warmly reminisced. “Can’t those freeloading parasites leave me alone?” he merrily quipped as he hilariously slammed the phone down.

DOUG “DOUG MURPHY” MURPHY (DMPH): Spending the year flying around the globe to participate in all the major climate change demonstrations, Doug has kept his ear to the ground and eyes on the prize, following the latest global political trends. “I can accurately predict the next British Prime Minister will be Mott The Hoople.” A keen carpenter, Doug lives in Norway for tacks reasons but fondly recalls his fanbase in the UK and shouts out a warm “Hi there!” to him. Doug’s pet hate is oxygen and his favourite colour is loud.

ANDY “TOPPO” THOMSON (Babylon Squeak, Yellowjack): The baby of the bunch at a spritely 94, Toppo seized the opportunity to record again with the Squeak and the ’Jack like a man possessed: “God, do I have to?” he enthused: “There’s the gee-gees this afternoon, Man U this evening, American football all through the night…” He managed to tear himself away from the William Hill website long enough to wave “Hi there!” to Doug Murphy’s fan who was being wheeled past Toppo Towers. His favourite colour is “Shut up, it’s the 3.30 from Kempton Park.”

PAUL “THE UNMUSICAL” HAMILTON (Yellowjack, DMPH, Babylon Squeak): The foetus of the fold at a mere 0.03 seconds old, Hamilton retains the youthful ebullience of when he was 0.01. Modest, disarming and generous in apportioning credit to his musical collaborators, he informs us through a loudhailer pointing at a bank of microphones on his rostrum at the O2 Arena that he is merely the pop-eared genius whose undilutable brilliance and imperishable fantasticalness has singlehandedly prevented the whole of modern music from sinking into a quagmire of turdy irrelevance. After a brief 19-hour speech where he self-effacingly shouted about himself, he was asked about his bandmates. “Passengers,” he fulsomely praised them. His pet hate is egomaniacs and his favourite colour is “Me”.