The Bees

Quite possibly the best funk-ska-reggae-art-pop duo ever to emerge from the Isle of Wight, The Bees have already acquired a reputation for doing things differently. Their debut album, ‘Sunshine Hit Me’, was recorded in a garden shed, and contains an unlikely mix of disheveled rocksteady rhythms, recorder solos, and organ-powered waltz music.

But The Bees on record sound positively restrained when compared with The Bees playing live. With the central pairing of Aaron Fletcher and Paul Butler swelling to a six-piece band, two and three minute songs are stretched out to become lengthy jams, with multiple stylistic and tempo changes regularly occurring. Making comparisons with similarly eclectic acts is hardly the point, but if Simian were ever to collaborate with a dub-fixated Beta Band, roping in George Clinton as producer, the results would sound like this.

Augmented by brass and keyboards, ‘Punchbag’ and opener ‘No Trophy’ are surprisingly robust, but lack the subtle touches that make the studio versions work so well. More successful is ‘Angry Man’, a confidently funky strut that proves The Bees are capable of sounding authentic when they stop trying so hard and start feeling instead.

The same goes for‘Whistle Chop’ and ‘Jackel Head’. While they may not display the same ambition as Fletcher and Butler’s more complex efforts, such jazz-tinged instrumentals suit them best. Catch The Bees when they’re mellow and you won’t get stung. (Sorry)