Julian Shah-Tayler is re-releasing a beloved project from a generation ago in the form of drinkme’s ‘The Creation Sessions’.
With a remastered tone, one has a hard time distinguishing the sound from twenty years ago at the behest of Alan McGee, for his then-new Poptones label.
While punk and post punk have had a few resurgences in the last few decades, we get that first gen mixture of pop and punk with (gasp) a little Beatle-esque style songwriting at times.
Consider this a slight snapshot of what the music scene was like in 2003, while showing how some of the best elements of today’s rock originated at this time. You can hear it. Can you feel it?
About drinkme
drinkme was formed when Julian Shah-Tayler (of London’s seminal “Magic House”) brought Ruth Owen, (a brilliant UN warzone journalist and exceptional songwriter), Scott Fairbrother (Spectre) and Emily Mann (supermodel guitar player), were tasked by Alan McGee to write and record an album for his new label Poptones.
After hearing Julian’s track “Do You Wanna Get High” on an old cassette demo, McGee invited the nascent five-piece (with drummer Aidan Buccheri) into Creation Studios, to record with his friend Felix Tod (Heather Nova). There, drinkme recorded 4 songs for this initial EP, with sights on a full length later in the year.
McGee’s encouragement of a “British Strokes” inspired chief-songwriter Julian to explore his more punky roots.
drinkme enjoyed 12 months of initial success performing the celebrated “it girl” fashion show circuits of London; live burlesque performances and highly-coveted speakeasy events (along side celebrity DJs such as Boy George/Dead Or Alive’s Pete Burns).
drinkme’s notoriety among the chic and chintzy fashion and arts scene guaranteed them continuous popularity. But like all stars that burn twice as bright, it burnt out in half the time. After a catastrophic, post-gig disagreement at the historic Cafe de Paris in central London, Emily and Scott each chose a different path.
Julian, Ruth and Aidan followed up with an album “Circular” at the end of 2003… yet that is an entirely different story, so watch this space for that.
Collated here alongside the original EP are the “orphan” demos which add the 3 piece songs unaffiliated with the EP or the future albums.
2 recorded at the Strongroom studios after the recording of “Circular” – “Addicted” and “We don’t wanna go” 3 demos recorded at Alchemea studios “Automatic Pistol”, “Gun Heaven” and “Audiology” recorded right next door and at the same time as the debut recordings of the Flight of The Concords…..
