The pressing question on my mind of late is whether or not we might be in the midst of a sort of mod revival. Is there a new mod revival in the offing? Hard to say, especially from the middle of the moment. But I do have to say that there are a few things aligning that might be pointing that way.There's no denying that there are more so-called mod bands on the circuit these days then there were say five years ago when I launched the modcast. And these are bands that don't run from being tagged as mod. There have always been mod friendly bands, --soul groups, beat bands, power pop trios and so on-- but it seems that they often didn't want to get labeled as mod. Not so with the newer bands.
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So, are we in the midst of a new mod revival or not? It seems to me that the one thing that is lacking to really have a mod revival is a leader, a figure head, someone like Townsend or Weller. Movements need their leading lights, someone to rally around. The sixties had great bands like The High Numbers, The Creation, The Small Faces, complete with larger than life legends like Pete Townsend and Steve Marriott. And there were complimentary bands like The Zombies, The Beatles, The Kinks and more. In the seventies the first mod revival had Paul Weller and The Jam. The Britpop scene had Olympian-sized bands (with matching egos) like Oasis and Blur. Thus far, while there are perhaps more and better (gasp! did he just say that?) bands, no group or individual has risen to the pinnacle of supreme leader status, that sort of god-like figure that is neccesary to really ignite a revolution.
Let me know what you think. In this modcast I am gonna make a case that there's lots of good mod friendly music being made right this very moment and that's at least half the battle. You let me know in the comments below if that means it's a revival.
Suedehead -- New Traditions (2011)
The Broken Vinyl Club -- I Want You Girl (2011)
The School -- I Want You Back (2010)
Houdini Dax -- O.L.L. (2011)
Steve Craddock -- I--Man (2011)
Raphael Saddiq -- Radio (2011)
Miles Kane -- Counting Down The Days (2011)
Laura Vane & The Vipertones -- All Over Again (2011)
James Taylor Quartet -- Why Can't We Get Along (2011)
DC Fontana -- Sleeping With X (2010)
The Method -- Gunners March (2011)
The Modesty -- 1975 (2010)
Booze -- Rachel (2011)
The Like -- I Can See It In Your Eyes (2010)
The School -- Is He Really Coming Home?
Miles Kane Interview
