REVIEW: Flowered Up A Life With Brian reissue

Flowered Up sprouted up gloriously like an award winning Chelsea Flower Show bloomer for a few years back in the early 1990’s. Formed on the back of meetings with original members, brothers Liam Maher vocalist and guitarist Joe Maher joined by Andrew ‘Jacko’ Jackson on bass along with John O’Brain on drums and Simon Lovekin on keyboards. Soon after this first line up O’Brain was replaced by John Tuvey, Lovekin replaced by Tim Dorney with the addition of onstage dancer and off-stage serial prankster Barry Mooncult the band lit up their audience with their dance funk indie fuelled anthems and legendary live on stage mad capped performances.

The band released 3 singles, debut synthesizer attack It’s On, haunting bounce of Phobia, whilst Take It showcased the bands love of fellow Big Black Smoke band The Clash. Stunning single Weekender was released to criticism and plenty of scratching of heads with it being over 12 minutes long it wasn’t exactly your happy go lucky indie 3 minute jaunt, not many radio stations played it, only the well informed such as Annie Nightingale saw the potential of the band and heard a sacred creation.

Whilst the band gave their all to their craft the bulk of which was left to languish on the cutting floor for over 30 years, that is until now. Weekender / I Am Weekender has finally been triumphed for what it is, a track to envy the very best along with Lennon/McCartney and Strummer/Jones, accompanying video has become as acclaimed as Trainspotting, greeted with universal applause at premieres nationwide. 2024 looks to be the year Flowered Up are being taken seriously with The Life With Brian, the bands only album, being rereleased by London Records, it’s certainly been a long time in the making, but very much welcome.

The album was recorded at Pete Townshend’s Ell Pie studio with money and time thrown at the band at the time of recording, its been often commented that there was too much time and money thrown at the project, resulting in familiar live anthems resulting in washed down and fresh spritely recorded tracks, when the actual appeal of the band came live and direct in their on stage frantic, ardent performances, meaning virtually everyone connected to the band mentioned they really should have gone into the studio recorded live cuts and left in a flash. Hindsight is an often-wonderful thing, and with the promise of a new live album to follow from freshly unearthed reel to reels, many peoples wishes will finally come true.

Of the tracks that appear in this vastly improved remastered version, Dorney providing his own shine and polish, the overall sound now is startling and appealing. Sunshine, the bands loyally live intro casts a shadow over its dimly lit 1991 predecessor, instrumentation now to the fore, Liam’s iconic vocals are a shining beacon to be heralded, think of Dury with a splash of Suggs and a dollop of Strummer, this combination results in a voice of unrivalled passion and startling vibrancy, Liam really ranks up there with the very best. Other highlights across the album include Egg Rush, the would be single with Anna Haigh sounding like a modern-day Siouxsie Sioux, the dynamic rush of keyboards introduces the band in formidable form, a track right for a Saturday night on the tiles.

Joe Maher is your modern day Hendrix, fingers all over the fret, it’d be hard to find a more naturally gifted guitarist from this period who has not had the light shone firmly in his direction. His work now shines proudly on Take It, Clive Langer version of Crackerjack and Weekender. The second side of the double CD has extra tracks and B sides not featured on the vinyl. Personal favourite’s include I’ll Be Your Dog with Mooncult adlibbing throughout, it’s a modern Always Look On The Light Side Of Life, underrated B side Flapping gets the rebirth it so richly deserves, plus with the addition of remixes there’s literally something for everyone served up here.

As with the likes of The Real People, Candy Opera and THE HIGH, Flowered Up richly deserve their time once again in the limelight, a light that has often shone way to dimly on their brief career, but now with this eminently packaged reissue bees are buzzing around this absorbing release.

A Life With Brian can be pre-ordered via the following link