MOTHER BLACK CAP

Norfolk-based prog band Mother Black Cap were formed back in 2004 by long-time friends, guitarist Martin Nico and keyboard player Bob Connell. Over the years there have been a few line-up changes, plus they broke up for a while, but are now back with their latest album which also features Andy 'Fizz' Bye (lead vocals, bass) and drummer Dave Dietrich (who has since been replaced by Martyn 'Mac' McCarthy. What make this such an intriguing album in that the guys are following one of the most criticised subgenres within the prog scene, Neo, and not only that but they are actually reaching more into the Eighties than the prog boom of the Nineties.

I never understood why so many people had something against the genre, as in many ways I felt it made perfect sense as we moved away from the overblown nature of the Seventies and combined that with the independent ethic which came out of punk and then the indie and metal scenes. Sure, there was much more rock guitar and a different emphasis than what had come previously, but to me this is music actually progressing and changing its form. Now here we are with an album from 2023 which actually could have come out 40 years earlier. More Tamarisk than Marillion, more Haze than Twelfth Night, with a singer who is more rough and ready than many, this takes us back to a time when the prog scene was alive and well in pubs, even though only a select few knew about it and even less were writing about it. Not for these guys the anthems and swathes of keyboards of many, as instead of polish we have guys playing from the heart and doing exactly what they want. At one time this would have only been available on a grubby much-copied tape, but thanks to modern technology this can be grabbed in full digital splendour from their Bandcamp site, and if you look back at the old days with pleasure (I was playing a Tamarisk live recording just the other day) then this is for you.