Drawing together multiple genres including funk, soul, blues and hard rock, Wille and the Bandits sound like they hail from the southern half of North America and are actually located in the UK. Despite major support slots with the likes of Deep Purple, Status Quo and the mighty Joe Bonamassa, the band remain inexplicably unsigned and their third album to date, ‘grow’, appeared without much fuss or fanfare at the tail end of 2013, having been released by the band themselves. However, the major labels’ loss is very much our gain, as Wille and the Bandits spend their time on the eleven tracks on offer carving out their own identity free from the controls and machinations of the music industry.
Opening with ‘got to do better’, Wille and the Bandits explore the fringes of soul only for a mighty guitar riff to appear on the chorus, recalling the genre hopping of Gary Clarke Jr’s powerful debut ‘black and blu’. Ostensibly tethered to the blues, there’s so much going on here that it’s difficult to know where to put Wille and the bandits, with raucous slide guitar, taut bass and a strong alternative influence on the vocals all conspiring to make the song a dazzling display of modern rock mucic, hold the genre. A funky workout, ‘Gypsy woman’ sounds like Red Hot Chilli Peppers jamming with Pearl Jam, with Wille’s whiskey ‘n’ fags vocals sounding particularly strong against the grinding funk of the guitar work. Heading into darkly trippy territory, ‘try to be yourself’ sounds like massive attack filtered through the music of the blues and the spirit of New Orleans, Andrew Naumann’s hypnotic percussion provides a voodoo-laced backdrop upon which Wille and Matt (Brooks) daub wildly psychedelic images with art-rock guitars and reverb-laden vocals. It’s an amazing piece of music that admirably follows its own advice and sees the band crafting music that is gloriously unique even in today’s seen-it-all-before, heard-it-all-before world. ‘Under the grove’ opens with some beautifully languid slide work worthy of David Gilmour himself, Wille’s voice ringing out clear over the shimmering backdrop in what turns out to be a master class in delivering a powerful and impassioned vocal, the song only flickering into life for a mind-meltingly beautiful climax in its final moments. ‘Butterfly for a day’ pits delicate guitar against jazzy, awkward percussion for a song that is both musically complex and yet accessible enough to lodge itself firmly in the listener’s brain for days at a time.
Having firmly gotten under the skin with its gloriously eclectic mix of genres, ‘grow’ continues with ‘still go marching in’, a track that benefits from a laid back atmosphere and some truly stunning lside work. ‘Why’d you do it?’, in contrast, heads off on a reggae tip, Matt taking the opportunity to excel on the bass as the band indulge in summery guitar breaks and Hat Marsh adds a touch of class with her delicate harmonies. Blazing into sight like a flame-emblazoned, fuel-guzzling chopper, ‘Son of the gun’ cruises on a massive guitar riff and sounds like VAST playing the blues whilst ‘keep moving on’ takes the opposite approach with its warm, upright bass intro and shuffling beat speaking of one too many late nights at the bar swilling whiskey whilst the jazz band in the corner plays to the end. ‘Forgiveness’ is a dark, traumatic flow of consciousness from a man on the brink sent to some brilliantly inventive music and then ‘angel’ draws the album to a close with a thunderous, folky piece of guitar work that makes you want to give the disc a standing ovation. A remarkable, instrumental coda to the album, it drinks deeply from the well of progressive rock and, with no word of a lie, Wille gives the solo from ‘Comfortably numb’ a run for its money with his epic, elegant soloing driving the song to ecstatic heights.
At the outset we described the status of Wille and the Bandits as unsigned as ‘inexplicable’, but, in truth, it’s hard to imagine an album this good, this belligerently varied and gloriously free flowing being made under the auspices of a major label. ‘Grow’ is an album where everything is perfect. There’s a coherent flow to the album, even as the music genre hops beautifully; the production is, without exception, perfect and the musicianship is simply stunning. The album further impresses with the wide range of emotions on offer and at various points you’ll want to laugh, cry, dance or cheer, but you’ll always, always be swept by the vivid flow of the music and the band play as if their very souls are at stake. A mesmerising, often beautiful album, ‘grow’ is an essential record for anyone who relishes the power of music to sweep you up and take you away from the world and it stands as a testament to what can be achieved by musicians with the skill, invention and desire to make something truly original.
