Jurassic Ska Bandits - demo review by Joel Priest

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02/02/2008

Jurassic Ska Bandits - demo review - December 2004

To be truthful, Ska is a genre of music I have yet to indulge myself in. Having enjoyed the commercial side of Ska through Madness in my younger years I was intrigued to see how the Jurassic Ska Bandits (JSB) would fare. I was to be pleasantly surprised.

In recent years there has been a resurgence of Ska bands on the local scene, young groups of enthusiastic musicians fed up of playing in the school orchestra and feeling the need to liberate themselves through new upbeat music. It is a style that comes as a welcome break from guitar lead rock bands. Ska allows the horn section to dominate a song from start to finish; they suddenly become a focal point of the performance.

The JSB by their own admission have not recorded the strongest sounding demo, it is described as “rough and ready” with the vocals a little off key and the levels certainly needing some attention. However the CD has since sold out at every gig and this speaks for itself.

‘Badges and Chequered Flags’ is not the tightest of the three featured on the demo but it presents the groups well thought out horn parts and a complimentary rhythm section. Their slightly rough sound actually works in their favour, it's not so much a don't care attitude that some bands strive for instead it comes across as fresh, a sound that would work even better live.

Second on the demo is 'See You Yesterday' although a little more intricate JSB stick with the same formula here, a high tempo horn lead track. Throughout the demo I struggle to take note of what they are actually singing about but their music is more about the vibe it creates rather than the issues expressed. The subject matter is not important; as long as you can skank your heart out until the bitter end!

Its clear the JSB are in this for the their own enjoyment and no one else’s and I have no hesitation in recommending them as a live band. Ending with 'Die Dreamin' reminded me of playing Tony Hawks on the Playstation into the early hours of the morning and The Jurassic Ska Bandits bring back memories of good times.

You can find out if the Bandits are playing near you by visiting their website, whilst you are there check out the free downloadable tracks.

Review by Joel Priest
Copyright Josaka
1 December 2004

Relevant Links

Jurassic Ska Bandits www.thejsb.com