OIL YOUYOUYOUYOU BE SEEING

A NEW FILM, OIL CITY CONFIDENTIAL, TELLS THE DR FEELGOOD STORY. DARYL EASLEA RELIVES HIS YOUTH

If you grew up at a certain time in south east England, Dr Feelgood was more than just a band, they were omnipresent. The fact that a group from down there on the Thames Delta had really made it was very big news indeed.

It was at Southend On Sea’s The Esplanade, or Canvey Island’s Cloud Nine, where they honed their act before rushing up to London, often in a van driven by manager Chris Fenwick, to make their name.

This was the time of now fondly-remembered detective shows like Hawaii-5-0 and The Sweeney from which they borrowed their look. Singer Lee Brilleaux in his white suit; guitarist and writer Wilko Johnson in his black – on stage like a corrupt god and a psychotic devil, with their two henchmen – ‘The Big Figure’ (John Martin) on drums and John B. Sparkes, ‘Sparko’, in his ‘bastard suit’ on the bass.

Their music, a crisp, clean R&B, was very different to what was happening at that time. It stood apart from glam and prog, and acted as a bridge between 60s beat and new wave. The excitement of All Through The City from their 1975 debut Down By The Jetty can be seen as a direct precursor of punk – Johnson writing about urban alienation with a distinct UK slant. Then came Malpractice with its masterful tunes – Going Back Home …

by Daryl Easlea
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