Five Newmatics

Rip It Up, Issue 45, 1 April 1981, Page 10

Five Newmatics

Mark Phillips

Contrary to popular belief, the Newmatics are not a ska band. Their fusion of various influences can’t be labelled.

Over the last six months, the band have gradually built up a rock steady following that finds them instantly accessible. A throbbing rhythm section of Ben Staple on drums and bassist Jeff Smith is the perfect platform for Simon Clark’s sax, Brent Pasley’s subtle guitar and Mark Clare's well-phrased vocals. ‘Judas’, a highlight of their live set, is out on a Ripper single they share with the Screaming Meemees. We asked Mark and. Brent (Sid to his friends) to pass judgement on their recording careers. Were they surprised to get the single out so fast?

“No,” says Mark, “When we first agreed to do it, Bryan Staff said he could get it out fast. He thought late February. It came out early March.”

Was Sid happy with the finished product? “I was there producing with Bryan, but the sound in the studio seemed totally different to what you get when you play the record. The studio equipment is deceiving. It gives depth that you don’t hear on a normal stereo. Next time we do something, the whole band will be there to listen and give their opinion. Bryan was happy, but nobody else really was. Next time, I think we’ll have Steve Kennedy as engineer, because he did such a good job on the Meemees.”

Mark agrees. “The sax wasn’t as loud as we wanted and the vocals were too dominant. Mind you, at least when we play it live, it sounds a hell of a lot better. We originally went into the studio to re-do ‘Five Miseries’, but somehow we changed our minds." ‘Five Miseries’ is the song that Newmatics do on the Propeller compilation Class Of 81. “It was the first time any of us had been into a studio for more than just a look. We did four songs because the original intention was for a demo tape.”

“We spent about five hours doing those songs,” says Sid. “It was all in eight-track, whereas ‘Judas’ is in twenty-four. Despite that, ‘Five Miseries’ still sounds better to us. The problem seems to be that we didn’t use Harlequin’s facilities to their fullest. It took five and a half hours in the middle of the night to get it down. By early morning, we just wanted out of the place. “Next time, though, things will be different. We are hoping to have guest artists on keyboards and brass. We have given tapes of 'lnquiry' to Don from the Blams and Jacqui from Youth For A Price, just to see what they come up with.”

Newmatics have in the past been prolific song-writers, but lately things have slowed a little.

“We’ve got twenty-six original-songs,” says Mark, “But we haven’t written many for a while. Because we’ve been working full-time and gigging regularly, we haven’t- had much time to write. The only song we have added recently is Wilson Pickett’s ‘Land Of A Thousand Dances’.”

Coming up soon is a six week tour which will see the Newmatics turning professional, a thought they don’t entirely relish. After that, it's an EP and then back on tour again. One thing’s for certain. If you don't get to see Newmatics some time this year, it’s going to be your fault.