The Blow Monkeys. Those legendary hit makers from the 80’s who bought you such classic songs as ‘Digging Your Scene’ and ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way’ have bowed to public pressure and will enter the studio in the new year to record their first album of new material in 18 years! They are also planning an extensive tour during 2008 and beyond, taking in the festival circuit both in the UK and abroad.

The band, who had a string of hit singles and albums before disbanding in 1990, have achieved “cult” status over the years. Revered as pop innovators, they also managed to have hit records in the USA at a time when having a “hit” meant selling shed loads of records, and even appeared on the biggest selling soundtrack album of all time ‘Dirty Dancing’.

The Blow Monkeys status as innovators was sealed with collaborations such as ‘Sweet Murder’ with Jamaican Toaster Eek-A-Mouse and ‘Be Not Afraid’ with Algerian Rai King Cheb Khaled … years before so called world music became the trend. They are even credited with one of the UK’s first genuine “House” records on the 1989 tie up with soul diva Kym Maselle on ‘Wait’ which went top ten all over Europe and predated the “Baggy” scene of the early 1990’s.

Most famously of all, they worked with the great Curtis Mayfield on ‘Celebrate (The Day After You)’ … a record so funky and provocative that the BBC took fright and banned it!
And now they return. Once again into the fray - all four original members. Dr Robert, songwriter/singer/guitarist, Neville Henry on saxophone, Mick Anker (he of the bowler hat and sideburns) on bass and Tony Kiley on drums.

A word from Robert: “The timing just felt right. Everybody in the band has carried on making music over the years but there’s a chemistry when we play together. It was essential to everyone that we made something new - no nostalgia trip. Of course we will play the old songs too - we are really proud of what we achieved and those songs are still relevant, but we also have something new to say.”

“In a way we are going back to the beginning … to a time when it was just the four of us playing in a room. We never really documented our sound. The nearest we came was our first album ‘Limping For A Generation’. We want to get back to that raw, experimental but melodic sound.

So The Blow Monkeys are back and on a mission. To forge ahead and reclaim their music … and in the process add some new twists and turns to their already impressive history.

Ok Fencats....

"Five in the Afternoon" the brilliant new album from Dr Robert and PP Arnold will finally be out on the streets and in the shops and available for
downloading from today! You can order on line now from these well known sources http://www.amazon.co.uk/ and http://www.play.com/ or get down to
your local record shop..if such a thing still exists.

And don’t forget Dr Robert and PP Arnold will be playing the Jazz Café next week on Wed the 19th...there are only a few tickets left so don’t delay.

Some promotional dates for your calendars...

Robert, Pat and the band will be recording a live session for Mark Lamarr’s BBC Radio 2 show "Gods Jukebox" which will go on air on Friday 21 Sept at
midnight. They will chat with Mark about the album and play five tracks...three from the album and two from their respective pasts.

The pair will also be appearing on The Ken Bruce Show , Radio 2 on the morning of Sept 20th at approx 10.15am taking part in "Pop Quiz"

And check out the latest reviews and articles from Mojo. The vibes are good and the runes are ringing!

Finally don’t forget to come down to the "Marc Bolan Celebration" concert on the 15th Sept at the Shepherds Bush empire and see Roberts unique twenty
minute version of "Hippy Gumbo"!

Bye for now.......


MARK LAMARR GOD’S JUKEBOX Radio 2 on Friday 21st Sept starting at midnight. pop quiz BBC Radio 2 – The Ken Bruce Show for Dr Robert and PP Arnold for the 20th September..on air 10 15 am.

Hello Fencats



"Five in the Afternoon" the brilliant new album from Dr Robert and PP Arnold is set for release on Curb Records in the UK on Sept 10th. They will be performing live at the Jazz Café on Wed Sept 19th and tickets are going fast so you better get your "fen" skates on!

In addition Robert and Pat will be recording a five song session for radio 2's Mark Lammarr show...showcasing songs from the album plus a couple of tunes from their somewhat illustrious pasts! This will be broadcast the weekend after the Jazz café gig.

The Dr and PP will also be appearing at the Summer Sundae festival on August 11th on a bill which also features the fabulous Lea Shores...a band Robert produced a few years back when they were known as The Bark.

Finally...Robert will be performing two songs at "Marc Bolan , The Celebration" at the Shepherds Bush Empire on Sept 15th. Joining such fellow Bolan devotees as Marc Almond and legendary producer Tony Visconti it should be quite a night. Shaking Stevens is performing too!!

Adios Amigos

PS...Check out producer Youth's remix of "Satellite " from the new album on the Dr's site.

The full Dr Robert album back catalogue is now available online at a number of online stores, including - of course - iTunes. For those in the UK, click here.

P R E S S R E L E A S E !
DR ROBERT and P P ARNOLD
“FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON”

Dr Robert, the The Blow Monkeys main man, has teamed up with soul legend, P P Arnold, for a brand new album of duets.

‘Five In The Afternoon’ was recorded near the Andalusian port town of Motril in southern Spain. The nights were long and the days were filled with sunshine . . . and just a little bit of rain . . .

“I met P P Arnold at a party up here in the mountains near Granada. I was playing some acoustic guitar - a few old tunes, some Curtis songs and stuff - she jumped up on the tiny makeshift stage and blew the place apart. We sang some Hendrix, some soul and then ‘First Cut Is The Deepest’. It was so good. We went away that night determined to make a record.”

‘Five In The Afternoon’ is that record. A career highlight. It’s timeless sound and soulful funkiness are held together by two voices at the top of their game.
‘I Saw Something’, ‘What Am I To Do’ - songs that burst with vigour and belief.

“It was too hot to record during the day so we would start at five in the afternoon. Here in Spain everything starts at five in the afternoon. Bullfights start at five in the afternoon - that’s what the title track is about. It was inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca, the poet laureate of Granada, shot dead by Franco’s falange during the Spanish Civil War, whose poem ‘Lament For Ignacio Sanchez Mejias’ directly influenced the song.”

Other highlights like the congregationally massive ‘Satellite’ and folky funkiness of ‘Be My Judge’ only re-enforce the notion that this is music made for all times. Music on its own terms. No stylists , no A ‘n R men, no marketing guru and no compromise. Just let the music be your guide.
.
Listen to PP Arnold’s singing on the beautiful ‘Stay Now’ and dig Robert’s sassy guitar on ‘Nothin’ But Love’. Simple songs of freedom.coming from a timeless place.

Written and produced by Dr Robert, the album has an earthy quality which owes much to the style of the players involved, such a bass player Marco Nelson (Young Disciples) and drummer Crispin Taylor (Galliano) - it was recorded virtually live with very few overdubs. “With players this good and Pat singing, it would have been a crime to do it any other way …”

But this is no criminal record - this is ‘Five in the Afternoon’ and might just be the record of the year!

‘Five in the Afternoon’ will be released in September 2007 on Curb Records

‘Five In The Afternoon’ – Track List

Nothin’ But Love
Be My Judge
What Am I To Do?
Careless Blues
Five In The Afternoon
I Saw Something
Stay Now
Ghost Of Winter
Shape It For Me
Satellite

The players were:

P P Arnold … vocals
Dr Robert … vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Marco Nelson … bass, pedal steel, farfisa
Crispin Taylor … drums and percussion
Tansay Omar … drums and percussion
Robb Appleton … harmonica
Jose Luis Quesada Bravo … saxophone