Reviewed on 22nd September 2006.

Jim Bob

Live at Mixing Tin on Tuesday, 19th September 2006

Some misguided people out there might tell you that the post-Madchester pre-Britpop years weren't much fun to be growing up as an "indie kid". Not true. Yes we had to contend with shoegazing dullards, bonged-out crusties and grunge whingers but the years between about 1991 and 1993 were an all-too-brief period when indie music was actually good fun, didn't take itself cripplingly seriously the way it does now and you had a whole legion of indie-punk (or "fraggle" as the loosely applied term was) bands who could crack out some damn fine moshpit anthems for the "big shorts" generation (a good decade before the pilfering nu-metal gits filched that look wholesale) - the Wonderstuff, Mega City Four, the Senseless Things, Leatherface, China Drum, These Animal Men and, lest we forget, Carter USM.

That was, of course, a long time ago now and it's really a bit of a shame Carter aren't remembered a bit more fondly (or even just remembered more) than they are. History, as it's often been said, has a nasty habit of being written by the winners - the New Wave of New Wave movement that they arguably spearheaded back in the early '90s was quickly subsumed by its less intimidating more marketable little brother Britpop and they were quickly and undeservedly forgotten. It's a shame because really the British alt-music scene is gagging for a bit more politicism at present - we've got a government that's as right-wing as any we've had in recent years, two opposition parties who offer very little different yet all our bands more content to mewl on about how they can't pull at the indie disco than look for some answers about where the reasons for their misery lie. The irony is, I'd bet good money that the Arctic Monkeys to name but one own at least a couple of Carter albums between them - there's certainly a couple of musical (maybe even lyrical at a push) links there. But what Carter have that Alex Turner and co (and for that matter Pete Doherty, Johnny Borrell and far too many others) don't is simply conviction in what they sing (I know ya hate me for saying so Monkeys fans but I'm afraid it's true) and an ear for a decent tune.

So listen and learn kids 'cos today's sermon will be delivered by ex-USM frontman Jim Bob, back in town on a solo tour to promote his up-and-coming greatest hits album to a decently-packed Mixing Tin. Although the drum machine and rat's tail fringe of old are nowhere in sight, age and downgrading to an acoustic guitar certainly haven't mellowed him one bit as he snarls his way through "Stuff The Jubilee!" and "Do Re Me So Far So Good" with every bit as much conviction as he used to all those years ago.

Tonight's set is a good mix of Carter classics ("A Prince In A Pauper's Grave", "Anytime Anyplace Anywhere", "My Second To Last Will And Testament") and new songs such as "In The Future, All This Will Be Yours" and "Back To School" which show his tongue hasn't got any less sharp as the years have gone on.

If you haven't got 'em already then I strongly recommend you track down copies of Carter's "101 Damnations" and "30 Something" albums and keep an eye out for Jim Bob's up and coming best of too. The man is a sadly all-too-rare breed in the modern day music scene - someone who genuinely believes in what he's doing and is able to articulate what he thinks better than nearly all of his peers. If just a few people nowadays would be this willing to stand up against the status quo rather than use the old cop-out of "why fight what we'll never be able to change?", perhaps the whole alt-music scene would be a bit of a better place.