As I have
written many times before, I grew up in the '90s. Specifically, in 1990, I
started middle school and was 12 years old. Although I tried to keep up with
all the latest releases, it was very difficult in the pre-internet era unless
you lived in a big city with specific radio stations and imported magazines and
newspapers. Nevertheless, I presented my own radio show through which I tried
to introduce as many people as possible to the music I thought was the 'best'. I clearly
remember being very hostile towards dance music, especially techno (although that changed rather swiftly when 'Screamadelica' landed). I was
completely immersed in '70s punk rock, and my life had just been transformed by
discovering The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.
It was only
much later that I discovered those 5:30 guys. I was all about Cool Britannia and
Britpop, and when that scene came to an end, I was anxious to unearth hidden gems
or forgotten jewels from that era. And, of
course, this came through fanzines. I remember there being an indie record
store in Athens dedicated to British music. Sometimes imported fanzines were
displayed on its shelves as well, so I grabbed them. Alongside
bands such as Studio 68!, the Aardvarks and the Stairs, Five Thirty combined
the '60s garage punk that I had discovered only a few years earlier through
bands like the Lyres and the Chesterfield Kings with the sounds of
the Jam, the Small Faces, the Who and even the Stone Roses! Before
these bands, I thought 'mod' meant looking casual. Of course,
I used to wear Adidas trainers, Levi's jeans and football shirts. Actually,
I still do.
Anyway...
5:30's sole album ('Bed') is a true lost classic. It sits comfortably alongside other UK and US albums that went massive, yet has bizarrely received no recognition from the crowd. The same
was true of all the EPs that were released (remember those 12-inch records with
their superb sound?). Their first material was dated in the mid/late '80s, but returned in 1991 as a mod
and psych-influenced band wearing suits, striped trousers and Chelsea boots. Five
Thirty's music was tough, gritty and rockin', yet highly melodic. They favoured
a punky, edgy pre-Britpop/snot power pop sound with lots of the era Madchester influences and a gifted arsenal of two frontmen/songwriters plus a drummer as good as Keith Moon. Three years before Oasis, they
exuded a rock’n’roll arrogance that rubbed people the wrong way and perhaps
they were too mod for the times (mind you Paul Weller was still label-less back then). With their
sharp edges and sub three minute songs, this band was clearly at odds with the
early '90s shoegaze sound of their hometown (Oxford). In fact, they predated acts such as These Animal Men and S*M*A*S*H, who are often cited as the
forerunners of Oasis/Supergrass/Manic Street Preachers/Libertines kind of supercharged pop and rock'n'roll.
I think
you've got the idea - I won't bore you with more details. All their
'singles' (actually EPs) have been gathered here, along with some bonuses from recent reissues.
PS: Don't be
fooled by the awful production of this era on the mid-80s, third league, teenage
punk debut that starts this compilation. By the time they re-emerged in the
'90s, this band had exploded like a supernova.
