Some performers are born to perform. It seems obvious, but it’s not a given in the music world. Some just want to make sound, some want to compose, not all are in it to connect directly to an audience. Rob Gallagher, however, is all about that connection, and he’s never stopped doing it. It was there in his band Galliano’s genial funk from 1988 through 1997: his London beat poetry always felt like it was addressing you direct, and the band came to live above all on the live stage where he could speak to the crowd.
In the subsequent band Two Banks of Four he did admittedly step back from the mic somewhat – it was more about cosmic sonics and the singing voice of his partner Valerie Etienne (who was also his foil in Galliano) – but he always found other outlets: as Earl Zinger and General Rubbish he both recorded solo and, crucially, appeared live regularly as MC for many of his lifelong friend Gilles Peterson’s DJ sets globally. More recently he has also released two sterling albums in the duo ThE DiAboLIcaL LibERTieS – more electronically inclined, but still with his performance persona present and correct.
The return of Galliano, then, might follow a 28 year break, but with Gallagher front and centre it’s also part of a constant flow of his addressing of the world. It does exactly what Galliano always did: good natured jazz, funk, dub, disco all flowing together, packed with hooks, and with Gallagher reciting his thoughts on dancing, subculture, spirituality, city scene slice-of-life sketches and so on.
The band absolutely wear their influences on their sleeves: there are direct interpolations of Funkadelic, Eddie Chacon and Roy Ayers, as well as older Galliano songs; “In The Brakes” sounds like a Talking Heads tribute, and Gallagher’s voice having gruffened with age it becomes apparent how much his mischievous chatting style has always owed to Ian Dury. But he remains distinctive, and the band sound like they’re having the best time. If there’s a fault, it’s that these songs sound like they’re written for the live stage more than for record, but that is just impetus to get out and see them: in the meantime they’ve made a record that should lift your spirits considerably.
Listen to "Circles Going Around the Sun":
