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IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
"When
this band started all we wanted to do was to play Europe
and get to see as many coutries as we could. We actually
never were conscious ofthe fact that someday we might hit
the big time the way I suppose most bands do. Yeah, we were
in it to travel."
Des Henly, Fumble's big guitarist and lead singer, was reminiscing
slightly about the beginnings of the group and talking generally
about their time together, a perion which has lasted five
years and for at least four of those years Fumble really
did take up on all the foreign work that was made available
to themand work without even a whiff of big-time publicity.
Things have moved pretty fast, thought, for the group over
the past year. Last Autuum they put out a delightfully refreshing
debut album full of most of the most memorable early sixties'
punk rock anthems. Naturally, they were eyed with a certain
amount of sceptism especially just as most of the "rock
and roll revivalist bands" had fallen flat on their
faces as the initial novelty began to wear a wee bit thin.
The difference was, though, that Fumble really were playing
solid heartfelt rock and roll and all their covers of the
old standards were presented in their true light.
Their next step up was when none other than D. Bowie invited
the band to accompany him on his last American tour - quite
a hot handful for a band who were virtually unknown here,
not to mention their complete non-entity in America: "The
tour was an eye-opener in so many ways," said Des after
pulling mighily on a pint of Guinness. "Obviously the
thing that really scared us was playing to so many bloody
people every night, and then half of them were pretty weird.
Bowie attracts some real freaks.
"He'd heard us play at gigs in this country and then
he asked us to do the American tour because he wanted a
band that could warm an audience up and make them hot for
him. Most of the gigs were really incredible and one night
at a gig in Philadelphia we had gone down really well and
some people were getting ready to leave, they'd forgotten
Bowie was to come. I'm not saying that's what happened in
a big way, but it gives you an idea of how good the gig
was."
Another most unusual asset Fumble have going for them is their
sheer consistency. The album, for example, revealed no audible
weak spots and the quality of their live gigs have already
put them into a class which is all their own: "We kind
of pride ourselves on the fact that we are consistent,"
said Des. "At the moment we are writing more original
material and we're going to work them in so we do about 50
per cent our own stuff. The band has got a very definite and
positive thing of it's own and although we more or less became
known on the strength of things like "Hello Mary Lou"
we didn't play these things as a novelty. It was all just
rock and roll and I think that's where a lot of the revivalist
groups failed. They just couldn't rock.
"We've used what we did in the past as a vehicle I
suppose, to be able to introduce some of our own material.
I don't know whether people will see our songs as a drastic
change to the band."
Des says America taught him the necessity of treating all
audiences on the same level, though in the early days he
adds that for the sake of prudence there had to be variations
of approach.
"We might be luckier, thought, than a lot of other
bands because we do about an hour's set and none of the
songs are over three minutes. I know it probably sounds
old fashioned, but the perfect set is the one that begins,
builds up and then is brought to an end and that's what
we aim for every time we play.
Later in the year Fumble are to do a second Bowie US stint.
"Bowie," says Des emphatically, "is a performer
above everything else and he knows the value of being a good
one. Touring with him is an experience not to be forgotten
because you learn such a lot in a short space of time.
"I think we've stood up to the strain the tours brought
with them because we'd been through so much together before.
We're a pretty solid unit, I reckon if one of the four of
us left the group'd quit altogether. It's pretty tight."
- Ray Talford.
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More
articles:
Success for Weston Group in beat championship
(Local paper, 1967)
Baloons flying
high behind Iron Curtain (Local paper, 1968)
Fumble (Record Mirror,
1971)
FUMBLE (Beat Instrumental,
1972)
American Press (1972)
Fumble gain a firm hold (1972)
Nancy
finds out all about....
(date unknown 1973)
There's no flies on Fumble (NME,
1973)
Fumble flies to fame and fortune
( 1973)
Rumble, rumble...here comes
Fumble (Record Mirror, 1973)
Fumble begin to feel good (Evening
News, 1973)
Fumble US Tour (Record Mirror,
1973)
In a class of their own
(Sounds, 1973)
Under the influence: Des
Henly (NME, 1973)
Rollin' and Fumblin'
(Melody Maker, 1973)
The Raver
(Melody Maker, 1973)
Back
in time - Nutrockers! (Reading Rock 73)
Accident Prone (Music Star,
1973)
An
interview with Barry Pike (Drum Magazine 1974)
Rock'n'Roll band signs up (St.
Albans Midweek Recorder, 1974)
Record and Popswop Mirror (Record
& Popswop Mirror, 1975)
Robin Katz talked to Sha Na
Na and Fumble (Sounds, 1975)
Pop goes GLC decibel dosage
(Daily Telegraph, 1975)
Concert reviews:
Playhouse Theatre
(supporting Bill Haley) (date unknown)
Newcastle,
City Hall (supporting David Bowie) (Jan 7, 1973)
Philadelphia,
Tower Theatre (supporting David Bowie) (Feb 17, 1973)
London,
Greyhound (May 17, 1973)
Paris
(May 31, 1973)
London,
Speakeasy (June 7, 1973)
London,
Marquee Club (July 14,
1973)
London, Rainbow Theatre
(supporting Chuck Berry) (Sept 7, 1973)
London, Marquee Club
(March 1974)
Bristol,
University (Apr 27, 1974)
London, Kings Road Theatre (Dec
15, 1974)
Burton-on-Trent,
76 Club (Mar 29, 1975)
London,
Roundhouse (supporting Dr. Feelgood) (Apr 20, 1975)
Festivals:
The Reading
Festival 1973
Alexandra Palace
Music Festival 1973
Roskilde
Festival, Denmark 1973 (Sounds)
Roskilde
Festival, Denmark 1973 (NME)
LPs and Singles:
Fumble
(Sovereign) 1972 (Melody Maker)
Poetry In Lotion (RCA) 1974
(Disc, Melody Maker)
Alexandra
Park (Sovereign) 1973 (Disc Magazine)
Million
Seller (Sovereign) 1973 (Melody Maker, NME, Disc, Sounds)
Not Fade Away (RCA) 1974
(Record Mirror, Melody Maker, NME)
Don't
Take Love (RCA) 1974 (Sounds)
German / Danish articles:
 Fumble
ride the oldie-wave (fans magazine, 1973) translated
Fumble
- Nostalgischer Pomaden-Pop (Flash magazine, 1973)
Success through persistence (BRAVO
magazine, 1973) translated
 FUMBLE
(GO, 1972)
Sjoveste LP i lang tid (Some
Danish paper, 1972)
Kendt
beatgruppe i Diskotek Limelight (Danish paper, 1973)
Roskilde-festival en stor succes
(Berlingske Tidende, 1973) |
