The Blockheads: Liverpool, Hangar 34

Not  a lot of people know this but when Trevor Horn took Frankie Goes to Hollywood into the studio to record Relax, he had a dilemma. The track debuted live on The Tube in 1983 and was a very different beast to the one finally released. Bass heavy funk, with no frills – sparse and seductive, but not very commercial in an era of electronic handclaps, swirling synths and soaring Pet Shop boys style arpeggios. Looking at a band who, quite frankly, were not the most proficient on their instruments, Horn needed a solution. He found one in The Blockheads. In rolled Jankel and crew and cut the template for what would become one of the biggest selling singles in UK recorded history. Arguments abound as to whether any part of The Blockheads’ recording remain on the definitive version; if there, it’s buried somewhere deep in the mix, but it was them who provided the basis for most of what came next. Horn just zapped it up a bit!.

Standing here tonight in the middle of a packed Hanger 34 in Liverpool, it’s easy to see, even over 40 years, why this band was Horn’s go to. It’s simply because they are the tightest, most well hewn, funkiest funk band on the planet. Years before Prince and and The Chilli Peppers, Dury sold funk to late ‘70’s punks and got away with it – combining his punk sensibilities from years on the pub rock circuit, the mash up with Jankel’s super-fly background gelled into an intoxicating hotchpotch of rebellion and smooth grooves. Crazy that it worked, crazier that they’re still doing it in their mid-seventies.

Sure, the line-up has changed a bit. After Dury died, long time roadie, pot dealer, and mate of Dury’s, Derek ‘The Draw’ Hussey took over. After his passing in 2022 it was The Fall/Ian Brown producer, wordsmith, actor, and songwriter Mike Bennett’s turn. The core members provide the real punch, the aforementioned Jankel, still tinkling the ivories, and providing the weaving rhythm guitar, counterpointing Johnny Turnbull on lead, and Micky Gallagher on piano & keys. They are joined on-stage by Level 42’s Nathan King, (Mark’s brother), John Roberts on drums, and Dave Lewis on sax/es.

From the band’s opening of Wake up and Make Love With Me, Bennett and crew have the crowd under a spell that doesn’t break until they they leave the stage. Familiar songs come thick and fast, surrounding one or two newer releases. Why Me, the Jankel/Bennett penned ditty, about a night on the tiles gone horribly wrong, ‘I was walking through the gay village, eating a lamb shawarma, two geezer birds took offence to me words and I got into another drama’ – pure poetry! Previous single Liberty also gets an airing

It’s the ‘big’ tracks that get the best reaction though, Clever Trevor with an extended middle eight that has Turnbull shimmying across the stage – he’s having so much fun; the enjoyment is palpable, infectious, and he lifts everyone around him. King’s face is a picture, watching the antics unfold, while providing those familiar rock solid bass lines; even when Bennett make a jump onto the barrier and pratfalls back on to the stage when a fan gives him an extra shove!

Reasons to be Cheerful is another highlight, with its tongue twister lyrics, and Hit Me With You Rhythm Stick, everyone’s favourite, sees Bennett in a call and response sing-off with the audience!

The band closes with Blockheads and the come-down, Lullaby for Franci/es, and while I would have preferred something a bit more energetic like Plaistow Patricia, it does provide a peaceful ending to proceedings, with each band member bowing out, one by one, until just Roberts and king remain, thumping and twanging away to fade.

What an epic night! The Blockheads will not be touring forever, so see them if you get the chance; drag out those old Dury records, play them again, and keep this essential part of the British music scene alive. No one does it like The Blockheads, and no one ever will. Jankel gave a lovely thank you to his old mate, a nod to the greatness of Dury. Essential gigs like this give oxygen to some of our most beloved songs – vital for keeping the memory alive!

Blockheads’ Tour Dates:

• May 2 – Ware, United Kingdom – 20:00 – Ware Drill Hall Association
• May 15 – London, United Kingdom – 19:00 – 229 London
• May 22 – Royal Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom – 19:30 – The Forum Live Music Venue
• May 23 – Guildford, United Kingdom – 19:00 – The Boileroom Music and Cultural Arts Space
• Sept 11 – Worthing, United Kingdom – 19:00 – The Factory Live
• Sept 18 – Hertford, United Kingdom – 19:30 – Corn Exchange Hertford
• Sept 18 – Hitchin, United Kingdom – 19:30 – The Corn Exchange

The Blockheads Website, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Watch Mike Bennetts interview on producing The Fall’s Cerebral Caustic! The Fall – Cerebral Caustic (30 Years On) | Abbey Road, Chaos & Mark E Smith, Mike Bennett Interview

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Words & Photos by Nigel Carr – Please don’t nick ’em! More writing by Nigel on Louder Than War can be found in his Author’s archive. You can find Nigel on Twitter and Facebook Nigel is the Executive Producer of New Dawn Fades – A Play About Joy Division and Manchester which is touring this Autumn from 1 September.