Arthur Kay& The Clerks

It was in a youth club stage that myself and a band of young tab-collared Mods called The Shapes played our first gig on a cold February Tuesday night in 1966. 50 years on, thanks to The Clerks I have made the album up until now I could only ever dream of making. A fusion of Ska, East coast Soul, a touch of gospel and the influence of the London street songs I grew up with. The night I came home. So this is how London legend Arthur Kay finally came home with the help of a young Ska band from Cologne. On the album, we find Arthur paying tribute to his great idol Dion ("The Wanderer") with "The Last of the One-Named Singers" as well as a cover version of Dions "Born To Cry". "The Count Of Clerkenwell" is another of Arthurs underground classics receiving a facelift here. But most of the songs are new compositions though, their lyrics reflecting Arthurs eventful life. The Clerks are much more than simply his backing band. Arthur requested the band to include two of bandleader Geros compositions. They weave seamlessly into the album, which closes with a new version of Arthurs classic "Mardi Gras on a Saturday Night" recorded live at Freedom Sounds Festival as a bonus track.