Date of Release: 1992
RCA
Ah, here’s a nice blast from the past, 1992 to be precise. An old semi-liked band as a student, when I was at Glasgow Uni back in the late ‘80s/ early ‘90s. I think it was through the Wonderstuff that I got into them a bit, them all being good Stourbridge lads. Saw them at an all-nighter at the Uni’s QMU (it’s a bit blurry tbh), alongside Aswad (which is even blurrier!). Quite liked their albums around then, forking out on a couple of CDs- ‘This is the Day…This Is the Hour…This Is This!’ (1989) and ‘Cure for Sanity’ (1990), with monster tunes like ‘Def Con One’, ‘Not Now James, We’re Busy’, and ‘Nightmare at 20,000 FT’. They’re a 5-man-strong guitar, beat box, hip-hop, rap, sampling, cartoon arty band, with funny lyrics and a level of uncool naffness that makes them, err well, sort of cool. An acquired taste.
Glasgow Uni’s QM Union from outside1 & in2. I’m at the bottom left, four from the front.
I do have a couple of vinyls too: – ‘PWEI-zation’, in an immense picture disc format, and ‘Wise Up! Sucker’ and ‘Can U Dig it?’ as cheapo 7 inchers. Unfortunately, the chart topping, ‘Touched by the Hand of Cicciolina’ was a budgetary step too far, despite its in-depth political relevance, and a cheesier than cheese performance on TOTP. She never did make it to PM, despite offering to shag Saddam Hussein in return for peace in the Gulf. True fact dat. She was elected to the Italian Parliament with a very credible 20,000 votes, though – very impressive. Despite their magnificent efforts, that was the end of the Poppies political campaigning. If only they’d sang for the milk snatcher we wouldn’t be in half the mess we’re in now. Ah well.
Ciccolina3 dreaming the Poppies4 election campaign will make her Italian Prime Minister
Right, let’s get to it boppers. This four track starts off with the title tune, ‘Karmadrome’, and is all very poppyish, and dare I say it, fresher and faster than earlier PWEI efforts. Lyrics are still a bit naff/embarrassing/comedic, take ‘dread alert’ as an example, mixed up with an Armageddon feel of ‘global warming’…and ‘life is on the countdown’…’before we get to meltdown’…which, tbf, I could do with this cheery outlook after my Nick Cave ‘The Boatman’s Call’ session! Great stuff. Good work, lads! Cannae beat a bit of upbeat gloom n doom!
That’s followed by a cheeky wee dub mix thingy version which is decent enough, but not that memorable. Can’t remember what it sounded like it.
Side 2, or in Poppy arty nomenclature, ‘AA1’, kicks in brilliantly with ‘Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me, Kill Me’. Plenty of options there. Think it’s about being an alkie and how ‘I could be dead at 33 like Belushi’, and ‘who’ll remember anyway?…welcome to hell…one’s too many, ten’s not enough’. Nice. These ditties are followed by the philosophical, ‘I could try to change but it suits me too well’. All uniquely PWEI, all sounding coolish, and almost important. Just when you thought you could relax, thinking the Poppies have really got their stuff together, and they’re about to shoot and score in the trendy goal, they reference the ‘…number 9 bus’. Respect plummets but all things cnsidered, a top track.
The following dub version doesn’t give justice to the standard, unfortunately. It does provide some nice synth and Jamaican drum bits, but sadly peters out. These guys will never crack global domination, but they are brilliant in their own way. Hats off to the Poppies. You can tell they love it (it’s good to be back!) even if sadly, no-one else much does. Their loss, I say!
My PWEI vinyl collection: 12” Karmadrome & my others5. Pop arty or wot?
Overall, a potentially cracking four track 12 inch, procured secondhand from the indomitable Vinylstore Jr. I had intended to buy the vinyl version of ‘This is…’ and got sidetracked, as usual. I’m glad I did. At the cost of a pint in London, this is great value and a healthier alternative, especially if you’re into manky craft beers. There you go peeps, the Poppies are good for you!
Turning to our beloved gashometer, Karmadrome is ‘not very gash’ as it has lots of excellent beats and mostly comfortable lyrics. However, some phrases do stretch credibility into the ‘a wee bit gash’ category. So, after much deliberation, it’s a 4/10, which ain’t so bad…………. or good! Yes, I know I said it was cracking but I caveated that with ‘potentially’ – so it’s up to you. I can’t decide.
Best thing to do is get it bought – get oot there and treat yerself. You never know, one day you might just be elected as prime minister.
Wise-up suckers!
Sources
- Glasgow Uni QMU: https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-of-glasgow/access-guides/queen-margaret-union
- Crowd picture: Inc., John Boitnott, 28th April 2015: https://www.inc.com/john-boitnott/what-you-can-learn-from-big-music-festivals-to-boost-your-brand.html
- Ciccolina: Rai News.it 26th November 2021: https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2021/11/Cicciolina70-anni-intensi-vissuti-controcorrente-b15fe8ff-21af-4b1e-a37d-b174d2d52287.html
- PWEI: The new Vinyl Villain, Acidted, https://thenewvinylvillain.com/category/pop-will-eat-itself/
- PWEI vinyl photos: Ally Grant, April 2024.