Review: The Bad Shepherds - By Hook or By Crook

Second time around, Ade Edmondson and his fellow herdsmen are just as sure and fleet of foot as before, exuding a quiet confidence and sophistication as they reconstruct another set of punk and new wave classics interwoven with traditional tunes. As has been noted, the presence of Troy Donockley and Andy Dinan is pivotal and demands the band serious attention - but Edmondson is no mere flashy figurehead, adding able mandolin as well as measured vocals. The Bad Shepherds are not interested in parody, nor an aging actor's vanity project - he again delivers a thought-provoking, not provocative, performance throughout.

By Hook or By Crook starts in much the same vane as Yan, Tyan, Tethera Methera! with a lone, low, buzzing note heralding an oblique approach to choice slices of rock rebellion and social commentary. Among the finest moments from the first album were those that brought out aching, heart-melting pathos - like a harrowing Down in the Tube Station at Midnight or the quiet nostalgia of Squeeze's Up the Junction - but they were complemented by the apocalyptic London Calling, sardonically rebellious God Save the Queen and joyous escapades like Teenage Kicks morphing into Whiskey in the Jar. Here, the Sound of the Suburbs is pared back to its central parochial poignancy, with lovely vulnerable fades; Anarchy in the UK is melancholy, a post-traumatic pipe mewling desolately over building urgency and all the more threatening for Edmondson's portrayal of mellow, checked psychosis. Others, however, just sound emasculated, like a tenderly plodding cover of Ever Fallen in Love. A similar impression is attained with Motorhead's Ace of Spades, which, shorn of a brash, bragging attitude, exposes the hollowness of swagger. It isn't fatalistic or urgent enough though, so the lyrics become rambling; their wistful take on Buzzcocks' best known hit loses the raw passive-aggression, impulsiveness and epiphany. Then again, whether teenage edge would seem convincing from a fifty-something ex-Young One is debatable, so perhaps the wisest course was chosen.

The splendid stand-out is White Riot, displaying zeal, flair and delicious instrumentation that really lifts the tempo. Our familiarity with the much covered track listing adds to the anticipation and indeed delight but is impressively little encumbrance, particularly skillful where other reinterpretations vie to be most inventive. In particular, several of the Bad Shepherds' selections have been previously restyled (and splendidly so) by Nouvelle Vague - but these incarnations are sufficiently dissimilar to avoid distraction or detraction. Resisting a hell-for-leather approach ensures Edmondson, Donockley and Dinan cannot be pigeonholed as a frivolous novelty folk trio (succeeding in showing sophistication beyond, for example, the Hayseed Dixie approach) and if, settled in style, they fall into their own novel niche, it matters not. The album is a great listen and improving with every airing.