Shakedown and more Hipshakin' Bronco Beats. The Surfbeat Club

The music on this album just makes me smile, ever broader. This album full of up-tempo, upbeat instrumentals is just so much fun. Musically the album has its basis in the very early 60 with on the one hand Dick Dale's and Link Wray's instrumental (surf)rockers, with a little The Shadows and The Ventures thrown in for good measure. Add to that on the other hand the enthusiasm of 'One Step Beyond' and a classic rock guitar, including by now Slash's, and you get a good feel, ideally ear, for what to expect from The Surfbeat Club.

There's nothing classic about The Surfbeat Club though. It is a Dutch band started in the 10s and releasing a new record in 2021. If anything, the bandmembers show how good they each are at their respective instruments and how tight they sound as a band. The high sounding and old, organ leads many of the songs. The guitar often plays a backbeat rhythm accentuating the Madness/Two Tone influences and comes in for solo's that are far more modern in sound than anything Dale and Wray could ever have imagine in their wildest dreams. Except for when the guitar leads the melody, as e.g. in 'Speeding Ticket' it sounds more classic like The Shadows. In the traditional soloing, influences are more Ritchie Blackmore and Slash than their older colleagues.

There really is nothing more to write here. Shakedown and more Hipshakin' Bronco Beats is so full of energy that the words John Lennon wrote for 'For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite' ring so true: "A good time is guaranteed for all". The Surfbeat Club's album is one big party. Hearing is believing, believe me.

Wout de Natris