(Re-) Introducing the band

By my reckoning, The Blue Aeroplanes formed in 1981. Their first album followed in 1984. They flirted with success around the time of their most famous album, Swagger, were buddies with REM, and released a Paul Simon cover in a blatant chart position chase. They nearly made it ... but not quite. Their brand of art-rock has perhaps always been a bit too "art" for some and not enough "rock". Labels came and went. Most critically, I think, vocalist and band kingpin Gerard Langley's spoken-word delivery may have held them back a little, despite being their USP. It's hard to sing along with a singer who doesn't sing, if you get my meaning.

Now I should counter these criticisms by saying that I am a massive fan, and have been since buying their World View Blue e.p. as an undergrad in 1990. I own an unhealthy number of their records, some now quite valuable if the resale values on Amazon are to be believed. I've been to Aeroplanes gigs where the stage has groaned under the weight of guitarists (sometimes co-opted from the supports acts) and the manic dance moves of Wojtek Dmochowski (the pre-Bez Bez, if you like, but much more energetic). This is a band I have loved. And they're still, I'm happy to report, plugging away, as the picture of their latest album, Welcome, Stranger!, illustrates above. Not only that, they've just recently completed a tour in support of the album that was anything but a nostalgia exercise.

So how does a band that is knocking on 36 years old keep going and stay fresh? That is the question.

The answer seems to be in having a transfer policy. Now the number of people that have been in The Blue Aeroplanes at one time or another is something of a running joke. If you come from Bristol and play the guitar, there's a good chance you've been in the band. Indeed, the band themselves play to this joke with a t-shirt on their merchandise stall that poses the question: "Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of The Blue Aeroplanes?" On a more serious note, the band also maintain a line-up history on their website which is comprehensive if not necessarily complete. Anyway, a certain turnover seems to have kept things fresh. Yes, Gerard and Wojtek are ever-present, but every other slot is up for grabs. In HR speak, there is churn. And this is a good thing. It means new ideas, new styles, new sounds are always coming into the mix. In turn, this means that, well into their fourth decade, the band still sound fresh.

The latest round of churn has also introduced a bit of youth into the mix, in the shape of Bec Jevons. In a band comprising lots of men of a certain age, she stands out, being in her mid twenties. She brings youth, vitality, energy and, most importantly, a real rock presence to live performance. Clearly honed in her other band, all-woman trio IDestroy, Bec has a stagecraft that belies her relative youth. Crucially, she also brings a bit of power to The Blue Aeroplanes, moving them back towards the "rock" end of the art-rock spectrum - personally, I think it is no coincidence that her involvement has coincided with The Blue Aeroplanes making their most accessible album in many a moon.

Chatting to Bec after a recent Aeroplanes gig, she's clearly loving her involvement with the band, and can't wait to start on the next album. She seemed very enthusiastic, genuinely lovely and happy to talk to fans. She signed my IDestroy CD too, which was nice. But I digress. What I should be saying is this: check out Welcome, Stranger! - it's excellent - have a listen to IDestroy, and keep an eye on Bec Jevons - the music business is a capricious world but if there's any justice, she'll go very far indeed.