Strawberry
Revenge of the mutant bowlcuts.
GLASGOW 74 EDINBURGH 74
tarts
Avril Mair gets grins and hugs and lots of love from cheeky chappies Candy Flip.
( 'amly Hip are house music 'sji'rst teen heroes (l-—I).June 1990).
‘Mutant teen heroes! ()r teenage turtles. maybe. We don't mind whatever labels people choose to give us. We just make music and grin a lot.‘ (Dizzy I). Candy Flip).
You have to smile. No matter what you call them. (‘andy Flip are undoubtedly the hottest commercial property among the new British breed ofeasily identifiable house acts. Adamski may have talent. Guru Josh may have attitude. but Candy Flip have what it takes.
An extremely enthusiastic West Midlands trio. they sound like Jason Donovan on acid. look like a teenage dream and make great records. 'I‘hree singles and one album to date. Populist they may be. but what they are not is a marketable commodity with all its implications of disposability. This is something they are intent on emphasising.
‘We were part of the Manchester scene as it started. then everyone began going daft. so we had to divorce ourselves from it when it got a bit silly" says singer Danny. known in the business as Dizzy D. ‘Everyone was saying they were from Manchester and we weren't really. so we thought sod it . . .'
Thus. after causing a major stir in clubland in 1988 when they joined DJ Jon Williams to create two seminal UK acid remixcs— Acid Attack and Acid Not Placid — the boys re-invented
\} themselves as Candy Flip from Stoke-()n-Trent. A single was released. Love Is Life. which promptly hit the Top Ten over Europe. but it was not until they succumbed with the rest of Britain to version mania that things really started happening.
‘We've got a lot of time for The Beatles. they‘re pretty good songwriters. 'l‘hcy sorted out the pop world in the 60s,‘ second member Ric acknowledges. ‘So when we heard Strawberry Fields on the radio while we were driving back from some club. we thought. “Let‘s stick a heavy beat over it but keep the atmospheric feel and it‘ll be great." It was. but we never meant it as a single. It was others— DJs— who said that‘s absolutely kicking. get it out. Next week it charted.‘
Strawberry Fields Mark II was not so much an original statement as a fulfilment of the first rule ofclubland: it worked on the dancefloor. Thus. despite. or perhaps because of. its audacious adherence to that initial sound. Strawberry Fields shot to number three in the national charts. Candy Flip. however. are adamant that they managed to add something of their own to the classic track.
‘The Beatles had no samplers did they'.’ We just took it one step forward.‘
This illustrates perfectly the fundamental dichotomy that exists for Candy Flip — eyes fixed
forwards. feet firmly entrenched in the past. Although too young to remember the 605. at heart they are still basically big hippies: children ofthe New Age who have rejected the materialism of the past decade in favour of spiritualism. Whether this is a continuation of cynical consumption by the commodification of beliefor genuine awareness is irrelevant; for the moment the spirit is the same.
"I‘here are a lot of the same feelings around now as there were in 1967—69. and everybodys getting into it. into this sort of love feeling and like coming together.‘ chirps Dizzy. ‘It doesn‘t matter who you are. what colour. sex. religion. where you come from. human even: just enjoy it. You've just got to have the right attitude —- you‘ve got to have a big grin.‘
This is Candy Flip's rationale. the rule that governs their every move. ‘(irins and hugs and
f lots of love is what it's all about.’
Certainly not illegal substances. The sound of summer 1990 was created by a designer drug which broke down barriers. created a culture, united an attitude. Everything started with an E. But not for Candy Flip. Despite insinuations that their moniker is just another name for an ecstasy cocktail. that the trio's trademark wide—eyed stares are less than naturally induced. they deny
. any dictating force other than that hippy vibe. man.
‘Nah. drugs have no influence. We know they exist. everyone knows they exist. but we‘re not putting over a drug message. we're putting over a love message.'
‘Dress how you want. think how you want. be how you want. be who you want. do whatever you wanna do. don‘t let anyone stop you.‘ Dizzy
pronouncescheerfully.
'And be happy.’ interjects Ric.
‘And be happy. yeah.‘
You have to laugh. ( 'undy Flip ploy Joe Paparazzi . Glasgow on 26 ()ct as part of the Shift: .S'ensarion Perception Knowledge club tour.
TALKING
LOUD!
After a couple of strong opening weeks, The Tunnel is still keeping the attention with some ultra-ultra-tanfabulous (as Lady Mlss Kier would say) gigettes, including Edwyn Collins, Electribe 101, Andy Taylor (the disturbed one from the Durannies) on 18 Nov, Big Audio Dynamite, the Happy Mondays after-gig party (a real test of ligging ability this one) and-of course-
Deee-Lite. By now, most of you will l either have seen or been told about the l wonders of The Tunnel’s conveniences j —watch the surreal ‘hole’ in the floor on the way in, to both the lads and lassies. Very David Lynch.
In the meantime, whet your appetites with two special events: on Saturday 27, The Sound Of Schoom drops in as part of its glamorous world tour, taking in everywhere from Barcelona to Aberdeen and Berlin to Brighton. Musical Svengali Danny Rampling is generally credited with changing the lace of London clubland through the original Schoom club; he will be Dang and Hypnotone and Son Of Schoom do live PAs. On Sunday 28, the Schlitz Splashdown has Bass-D-Matic and Shut Up And Dance, DJs Michael Kilkle
and Graham Park, and club karaoke. l Well, looks like the open season for Edinburgh clubs has begun, with no less than three new ventures flinging wide their doors in the next fortnight.
: First off is Freeze at Madlsons; run by two young DJ's formerly working from London but now planning to introduce the true rave concept to Scotland, ie — hard core house, all night long. They claim to be ‘the country’s most knowledgeable club', and certainly their proposed playlist contains nothing I'm overly tamiliarwith— but only time will tell . . . Next comes The Plateau Faze at Moray House, the first venture into club culture for a trio of local lads. Aiming to play alternative dance combined with PA’s and performances, this looks like being an
' interesting and intelligent option. Go
l for it, boys! Lastly, we have the welcome return of the Brain Club from London to Wilkle House. Afterfheir inspired happenings during the
l Festival, expect the unexpected from
I this Soho posse. You won‘t be
disappointed. See listings forturther
details about these three clubs.
I The Schlitz Sensation Perception
Knowledge club tour of Scotland finally
finishes this fortnight after four weeks
of outrageous success. Following an
unbelievable night at Buster Browns in
Edinburgh, the attention ls turned back
' to the West Coast for the last few dates
Catch this extra-sensory experience at
Fury Murrys on Friday 26 October and the Tunnel on Sunday 28 October. See
i you there!
’l‘he l.l.\l 2f) ( )L‘lnlic‘l' «S November 199073