The Mudd Club remind us to cheer the funk up

Let’s face it; the past few years, months, weeks and days have hardly been inspirational for partying. It seems every day when you feel the world couldn’t get any shittier; there is someone or something to show you that yes, it most certainly could.

Our most precious sanctuary, music, has become a commodity, with songs often dulling those emotional triggers, twisting them into messy or confusing formulas. Even fun has a new meaning!

Remember when the term ‘dance like no one is watching’ was about being beautifully free? Now it means an opportunity to increase popularity with views and clickable content. Fun was intended to be fun. You, enjoying your time in any way you please.

Well, if this planet in space is starting to spin backwards, as it seems to be, at least Funk is reemerging to remind us of those oh-so-fabulous good times.

In Sweden, those times have been kept alight by Gothenbergs’ M-rock and the Silvertwins of Funk, rocking dancefloors with grooves and dazzling costumes for over a decade. Even the legendary Abba have returned, albeit in holographic form!

Stockholm-based Swedish collective The Mudd Club (who consider themselves a funk/rock band) is also reigniting the golden age of disco, funk and all-around feeling good vibes. It’s a timely return.

The Mudd Club is an 11-piece funk/rock band consisting of session musicians and long-time friends. While I admit to having reservations about the name initially, the music threw that lump of scepticism back in my face!

Their spirited togetherness radiates immediately and uplifts through soulful, catchy and funky songs – familiar and new. The Mudd Club remind us casting aside preconceptions is essential to escaping the confines of modern society and expressing ourselves – our unique, exuberant and wonderful selves.

Stanking it up!

Inspired by the genre giants such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Rufus & Chaka Khan, and even the Beatles(are they a funk band?), The Mudd Club introduced themselves by re-imagining their favourite songs on a humorously titled homage album – Put Some Stank On It.

The 2020 album includes reworks of The Beginning of The End (Funky Nassau), Is it You? (Lee Ritenour) and one of my all-time favourites What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers. Thankfully this group of funksters do these classics justice, adding enough personality to the arrangements to render them refreshed and revived.

Unhindered by the desire to be boxed by genres, The Mudd Club are a rollercoaster playground in music, and the only safety belt you’ll need is on your hip-shaking jeans!

While these crate-diggers have revealed an exemplary taste in vintage LPs, they also express themselves through originally composed music such as the recently released singles, Superficiality, ‘5 AM Squad‘ and ‘Something Real Good‘.

The Mudd Club exude all the signature ingredients for infectious soul and funk music. And importantly, lead vocalists Jonathan Jaarnek Norén and Kajsa Borg demonstrate they have the ideal melodies to convince as true soul ambassadors. Listen to the track ‘5 AM Squad‘ at the 4.30 mark as Kaja hits goose bumping notes of Chaka Khan quality!

Oh, and that tingling sensation you feel while watching them messing around on the sofa is the awakening sense of being alive, carefree and happy! Everything in today’s music world has become so polished, so seeing people making music and having fun together is refreshing! I already know it’s going to be entertaining seeing this band live!

Follow The Mudd Club, and let’s get this muddy funky party started!

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