Monkey News

Monkey Do Bad Things is a 10 track CD collaboration between local comedy troupe (if you will), Belly Rub, and musical odd-bods, Guessmen, and the result is a well funky monkey.

"This is the first date I've had since I killed my dead husband", "Why did you kill him?", "I couldn't see the telly", "What was on?", "Bergerac", "Ah". "Shall we order wine?", "Probably".

So runs a snatch of dialogue between two members of Belly Rub in one of their sketches, 'First Date', included here. They wring comedy from their most mundane of phrases which are given a sense of hyper-reality - yes, hyper-reality - from their precise and clipped delivery (even turning: "Yes, yes it is", into comedy gold). Other sketches see a man attempting to gain some kind of satisfaction from an automated sex line, and another man stuck down a well. Their coming-at-life-from-an-angle approach sits well with the musical world-view of Guessmen. The Newcastle based band have four new tracks for fans to purr over here and their oeuvre takes in everything from jerky disco funk, through smoky lounge jazz and on to rocksteady space skank. A release truly from the outer-reaches of the avant-barbed. RM

The Crack, Dec 06

SINGLE OF THE MONTH

Guessmen

Hobo Disco EP (GM Produce)

The local heroes return with another 4 tracks of rare quality. Average Fish sees the band casting their rods into a deliciously murky pool of inspiration and reeling in a slowly grinding beat that has been peppered with all manner of macabre effects and oddball lyrical content. Elsewhere they're conjuring up Martian fairground music; a beautifully downbeat 3am lament; and scuzzy space jazz. Just another day in the Guessmen office then. RM

The Crack, Oct 06

The Crack, Jan 08