Maybe I have to see it live then.

I just find the brass parts etc not very well put together. I know of far more sophisticated stuff - June Tabors "A quiet eye", La Bottine Souriante (sic?), even Kate Rusby (I know...I know...) with "My young man". Of course "sophistication" isn't be all and end all, but for energetic stuff Salsa Celtica do a good job etc. On top of this Jon B is beginning to sound like a pastiche of himself to me - all comedy yelps and over-strained notes - the stuff I liked about "through and through" magnified so much its uncomfortable.

I hear the idea was to be like a big disco/funk band (considering Squeezys dodgy DJ past its not surprising), but I just don't think the arrangements work very well. I don't doubt the skills of the main protagonists, and I think this is why I'm so dissapointed - I expected better and certainly the sound I heard in my head when I had the Oxford gig described to me was better.

English music has never not been part of the world - its only a problem if you decide theres a problem there. I don't think what I've heard is helping any kind of cause, and nor should it - its entertainment!! But I don't think it should be portrayed as such. Saying "yes, english music is joining the world" is just trotting out cliches that don't mean anything. Thats another thread, another time though...

I'm glad you all like it, and that a band is able to inspire such enthusiasm in a genre like this, but I havn't heard an explanation of the thing I'm missing yet...