Fourteen years since the event, ‘Brimful Of Asha’’s chart-topping success now seems like a momentous occasion in British cultural history. The ‘60s had seen the likes of George Harrison and Brian Jones incorporate sitar-solos into their bands’ increasingly ambitious beat group fare, while Donovan made even minimalist Eastern drones palatable to the young. However successful these experiments were, they were guilty of evoking a sense of exoticism very much at odds with the country’s expanding Asian population.
Cornershop’s moment in the sun saw frontman Tjinder Singh reclaim Indian instrumentation from its position as a pillar of psychedelic credibility, adding hip hop production and C86 indie jangle to the mix. 1997’s ‘When I Was Born For The 7th Time’ is a modern classic of cultural assimilation and progress, and pointed to a way forward during the death-throes of Britpop. Sadly, the record currently languishes on the racks of Poundland and only Gareth Gates’ collaboration with the Kumars at No. 42 has come close to having the same impact. Subsequent Cornershop releases have been infrequent, Singh citing an unreceptive musical climate as the cause of his stalled output. Live appearances are rare.
The seven-piece take to the stage this evening ostensibly in belated promotion of 2009′s ‘Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast’ and are greeted by a modest yet partisan audience. The recent material’s grooves are in a glam rock vein and demonstrate remarkable pop nous for a band that, by this point, has every right to feel jaded. ‘The Roll Off Characteristics (Of History in the Making)’ fuses thorny guitar riffs with playful Moog synth-lines, busy, percussive drumming and one of Singh’s best vocals. ‘Soul School’ melds sitar with a dirty, fuzzy bassline, while ‘Who Fingered Rock ‘n’ Roll?’ is the sort of Stonesy rocker that Primal Scream frequently attempt to write but rarely pull off.
Every song played deserves to have been a huge hit and as such, there is a slight air of futility about tonight’s set, the band playing hidden away in an arts centre. That ‘Brimful Of Asha’ receives the same rapturous response as less celebrated oldies ‘Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III’ and an extended, feedback-driven ‘6 A.M. Jullander Shere’ suggests that they have at least outgrown their status as one hit wonders. Whether they can dominate the airwaves again remains to be seen, but this is undeniably essential music that deserves to be heard.
Lewis Porteous
