THE MEL OUTSIDER REFORMATION - Mel Goes Funky (2025) Hi-Res

The 8 piece Mel Outsider Reformation is one of the most potent and original big band outfits in the UK. Their music is riff driven, exhilarative and has a jam like quality.

It’s honed by the tutored ears of producer Mark Jones (Peter Gabriel, Patti Smith, The Ting Tings etc), who brings to life Mel Outsider’s eclectic autobiographical lyrics.

In fact the album immediately opens with the reflective : “One bucket, one frying pan, in the back of the van”, a referce to his previous tenure in The Outsiders UK.

‘Mel Goes Funky’ is as sonically uplifting as it is expansive, with a melange of chiming guitars, sonorous horns and Outsider’s animated vocal phrasing.

The 10 diverse tracks offer autobiographical snapshots of East Lancs and beyond, and are given their coherence by funky bass player and co-writer Matt Pawson’s relentless drive. Together with powerhouse drummer Karl Francis, The Reformation realise every last breath of band leader Mel Outsider’s unique oeuvre.

He’s lives up to his name by being an observational singer song-writer who treads a thin line between the real and the imagined.

He dwells on the more intricate aspects of life, be they personal recollections or more mundane things, which on his previous album ‘Miss Victory V’ saw him ranting (quite magnificently) about a broken hotel lift.

You could argue it’s his outside status that provides the catalyst for his micro lyrical reflections all seen through an East Lancs lens.

While most songwriters might search for emotion through a mix of sensual reflections, Mel uses the minutiae of his youth, as evidenced by “Children of the war hero rebuilding broken society”, from the horn driven ‘Making Me Develop A Gambling Habit’.

In the same song he also draws on a musical memory: “School boys perched on the kitchen roof, summertime, Edward Street, Nelson Lancashire, playing 3 card brag before leaving for the teenage disco. Hurricane Smith, Colin Blunstone on the radio.”

Then there’s the opening line of the beautifully crafted, horn led groove of ‘Doll With No Shoes (Let Me Down Easy)’ with its reflective lyrics and a classic opening line: “Streets of this bordered up old town….”

It develops into a tale of a waitress with dashed Hollywood aspirations, while a haunting sax solo provides several outstanding filmic musical moments on an excellent album.

The thematically related ‘Don’t Forget The Waitress’, is a cleverly constructed rumination on automated truck stops: “I was never the waitress, I’m the Maitre D, I’m the one that the truckers came to see, buried my rock and roll heart on the L53.”

The song is completed by a whirlwind of horn stabs, motifs and a resilient funky groove, given extra purchase by vocalist Helen May as the waitress!

You might break into a quiet sympathetic smile at some of the observations here, were it not for the irresistable chunkiy funky rhythms and enveloping walls of sounds.

The latter are occasionally torn asunder by Andy Morel’s magisterial horn lines and a triumvirate of guitarists Dan Arnold, bassist Pawson (who sometimes switches to guitar) and Liam McCartan who plays on 4 tracks.

And while it’s not always clear who does what, the combination of slide guitar, horn and Nick Cornall’s Fender Rhodes on ‘Doll With No Shoes’ gives the memorable song a Phil Spector feel.

The ensemble’s organic swagger fills out a succession of arrangements, which support Mel’s exclamatory vocals.

He in turn expresses a mixture of surprise, irony, humour and plain wonder on narrative- led songs with real musical heft.

‘Jet Black’ for example, is a splurge of colourful metaphors (literally) in a big and pristine sounding song full of: “Sunny days and riverbank walks.”

Big organ crashing chords mean Mel’s opening vocal is almost lost in the musical weight, but he rises again, on more reflective impressionistic lyrics.

‘Underground (Can’t Be Found)’ extends his geographic backdrop to his own past in London and Paris, with significant bv’s from Helen May, a surprisingly snappy chorus, and a stellar Andy Morel sax break straight out of Springsteen’s back catalogue.

‘Backroads Again’ offers a change of feel on a good example of the music evoking lyrical feel, on an eerie, slow burning and keyboard-led blues. Mel’s initially restrained vocal gives way to a choral laden hook with a distant shimmering pedal steel.

This track sounds almost like an evocation of the Mid-West, both lyrically and musically, as Helen May adds her most telling vocal contribution of the album.

‘Milk Round’ is a sultry funky groove with guitar and sax double lines and a rapped out “5am” story telling narrative: “3 gold tops for Mrs Valentine, and don’t forget to close the gate behind, take me back to the milk round. ”

It’s a great groove with a Steely Dan vibe, though the repeated chorus gives it something of an unfinished feel. The closing ‘Angel or Suedehead’ is a lighter piece on which he sings “BB8 ARZ are you Angel or Suedehead, BB8 ARZ you walk like a rocker but act like a Ted.”

He may of course be referencing ‘Beebee-Ate’, a droid Star Wars character?

The fact he also sings: “skinhead music is making me nervous” gives you a timeline to his own upbringing.

The title ‘Mel Goes Funky’ serves Mel Outsider well, as the album let’s his lyrics breathe and gives the band plenty of room to stretch out.

The Mel Outsider Reformation is what you might call a thinking person’s big band, but always with one eye on the dance floor.

The album recalls a time when music was fun. It’s lyrically beguiling, grooves, sparkles, amuses, rocks hard and puts the ‘F’ in funk, leaving it to the listener to press play and repeat!