It’s hard to put a finger on what Ben Wood and the Bad Ideas are achieving musically. Which is to say, it’s a unique sound they’re creating, having gone back to Obsessed with You (which I found on the “Permanent Wave: Rebel on the Underground” compilation by feminist record label Permanent Wave Records from 2012), 1930s Gem (about an old football stadium which has gone the way of old football stadia), and Lead Me On (the demo for which comes across as Arctic Monkeys / Wombats and even Australian veterans VSpy VSpy). Not bad for a cobbled-together outfit whose debut was at the behest of said record label and whipped up and shipped within 48hr!
Since then, Ben et al move in very auspicious circles indeed, able to call on such names as Dave (Adam & the Ants, Bow Wow Wow) Barbarossa, Billy (The Satellites, The Premiers, 1-2-3, Clouds) Ritchie, Paul (Sex Pistols, The Professionals) Cook, Nick (Juliette & the Licks, Scott Welland & the Wildabouts) Maybury, Mike (Southend’s Asylums) Webster, and Bruce (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) Thomas. And to keep the pressure on, Ben and the band not only promised (and delivered) a single a month through 2020, but released a video for each of them!
The last single, “Soho”, is the swansong for the project and for the year that we would rather forget! Starting with Cora Cora Cora in January (with the band wearing U2 very heavily on their sleeves), my needle-drop on the project took in Noon Drunk (if Bruce Thomas is not on bass in this one, with that Pump It Up groove, whomever it is loves his Elvis Attractions!), Dig (displaying hard-edged Arctic Monkeys / Wombats influences), Take My World Away (back to their own unique sound but borrowing heavily from one Steven Patrick Morrissey in the last chorus), One Day I’ll Say It (still more of their own sound), and Black goes to their punk roots a la Pennywise / Bad Religion (was Paul Cook in on this one?).
Soho rounds everything out, with a slightly-down mood that swings along as Lead Me On and Dig nonetheless. Ben and two Bad Ideas are tourists around a cold and grey London (is there any other type?): a very brave thing to be doing at any time during the last twelve months; without a mask yet! Maybe revisiting those successful busking sites from all those years ago? It even features a cameo by his nemesis in One Day! A great way to end the project, the year to end all years, and a preview hopefully of things to come from the guys once things return to normal, or whatever “normal” turns out to be this year.
Get along to Ben Woods and the Bad Ideas’ Soundcloud page or YouTube channel for the full picture to ring in the new year! Some new sounds for 2021 from 2020!