Matchless (Reissue) by Deep Cabaret
Formed in 2005 by bandleader and songwriter Steve Lewis, Deep Cabaret is a group of forward-thinking, instinctive musicians using sound and language to explore what it means to be human.
In 2019, Arts Council England granted Lewis funding to make an album. This afforded Deep Cabaret the type of luxurious budget normally unimaginable to DIY bands. They hired Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios and chose Justin Adams as producer, tapping into his deep expertise in North and West African music.
The resulting Matchless is aptly named. There is a calm assurance about the album that is rare. Influences are absorbed, interpreted and fed back in a way that feels natural and inviting. Hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, clarinet, cello and throat singing (as well as more traditional rock and pop instrumentation) all feature. It is remarkable (and testament to the skills of the ensemble) that these powerful tonal elements can co-exist so beautifully.
Lewis’ vocal is the glue that holds Matchless together. He sings in a voice entirely his own, free of rock and roll artifice or affectation, disarming the listener and drawing them in.
Lewis’ lyrics are equally intriguing - adapted from contemporary writers like Jonathan Safran Foer, Mary Oliver and Marilynne Robinson and icons like William Blake, Carl Jung and Wassily Kandinsky and their experiences of being human. Sometimes these words are used in their original form and recontextualised as song, sometimes they’re ‘remixed’ and reimagined as required.
The results are as though the deep trance of Ali Farka Toure has been magically transplanted to the mudflats of Morecambe Bay, reimagined through the lens of traditional British folk music and shot through with a European gothic sensibility. A tool for meditation and contemplation. A remarkable record.
Originally self-released on CD, Matchless is now finally available on vinyl for the first time thanks to Wrong Speed Records. Perhaps best known for loud, wild rock music (Part Chimp, Hey Colossus etc), there is nonetheless a common thread through the label of music made by “lifers” - people on an eternal creative quest.
2024 saw Steve Lewis celebrate his 70th birthday. Somehow “lifer” doesn’t quite do justice to his decades of creativity, but it feels serendipitous that this charming, eccentric and romantic album has found a second life and a new and welcoming home.
“It’s quite rare to find a group of musicians who have committed to finding together their own path, raw, personal, human and emotive, not relying on cliche or shallow ideas of what ‘good musicianship’ might be - so I was happy to find myself working with Deep Cabaret” – Justin Adams
Tracklist
| 1. | Drone Geese | 4:47 |
| 2. | Wedding Wish | 5:46 |
| 3. | Lila | 8:27 |
| 4. | Samboo | 6:57 |
| 5. | Real Reality | 5:07 |
| 6. | The Blue | 5:35 |
| 7. | Matchless | 3:19 |
| 8. | Body Of Air | 5:53 |
| 9. | Dark | 5:32 |
| 10. | Goose And Common | 5:28 |
| 11. | Lost | 5:12 |
| 12. | Reciprocity | 4:55 |
| 13. | Stories | 5:44 |
| 14. | Toast | 6:19 |
Videos
Credits
"Matchless"
(Tracks 1-7)
Steve Lewis – vocals, guitar, guitalele, percussion
Ben McCabe – drums, backing vocals
Jayson Stilwell – overtoning, percussion, backing vocals
Maja Bugge – cello
Paul Sherwood – hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes
Matt Robinson – clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone sax, flute
Justin Adams – percussion, baritone guitar
Produced by Justin Adams at Real World Studios
Engineered by Tim Oliver
"Decomposing"
(Tracks 8-14)
Bonus digital-only live album.
Maja Bugge - cello
Steve Lewis - guitar, vocals
Ben McCabe - drums, vocals
Paul Sherwood - bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, clarinet, duduk
Jayson Stilwell - voice, percussion
Recorded live at Cobalt Studios, Newcastle by Dan Miller on 1st March 2024.
Mixed at The Space Lounge by Mick Armistead
License
All rights reserved.
Deep Cabaret has been the shapeshifting brand of “singer of the lost songs of the land”, wild therapist and grandad, Steve Lewis since Top Ten Sex Tips (2008).
After curating the brilliant band that made ‘Matchless’ (2019) and ‘beWILDer, World As Kin: Songs of Attention and Reciprocity’ (2021) 2024 finds him exploring solo work as Deep Cabaret Un.