The Moths: Carry on Regardless

I have had the pleasure of booking The Moths once this year, at The Libertine - Remember those Saturday nights at The Libertine? Not many of you will.

The Moths are essentially an originals band but throw a few covers into their set, which they make their own. They have been going since 1982. Their singer and guitarist Duncan Wallis has seen various line up changes over the years, but the line up today, and for the best part of 25 years has included bass player Mark Deacon.

The Moths don't need ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP. They play regularly. They play music which is very listenable in a pub or small venue situation. They would fit on almost any bill. They could play on a bill of blues bands. Or new wave bands. Or mod bands. Or 60s garage bands. Even alternative/indie bands.

But ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP needs bands like The Moths. And for this reason I have created a page for them in the ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-RECORD-SHOP. There, you will find a link to their website, and another where you can buy their music on CD or download it.

In return for doing this I requested a CD that I could stream on their page, and yesterday it arrived (thanks Mark!). I haven't listened to it yet, but I don't need to to get the feeling of how important this CD is. It is lovingly presented; the inserts properly printed. It is a 2CD set, a Very Best Of, if you will, with a poster insert, including loads of old pickies and press clippings to draw you in, much like the back or inserts of an old LP, or the inside of an old gatefold. It is entitled Moth-Balls - The Best of the First 25 years.  

25 fucking years! This is a major achievement. How many of us have this to show for all that time? Something as cohesive as this. Something that shows this kind of dedication; such an unfaltering vision.

You know what? They may not need ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP, but this band is a shining example of what can be achieved without management companies, publishing deals, record deals, and so on. Back 'in the day' they had bits of record company interest, but they came to nothing. Instead they released their record themselves. Now twenty odd years later record company interest is history. It will almost certainly never come again. But hey, who cares if you can produce nicely presented CDs like this yourself? And you can make a living in a career outside music, while doing so. Occasionally, they even get to jump in a minibus with family and friends and go and play in France, where they go down a storm. Music fans are less spoiled there. They appreciate live music on a local level there.

And who cares if they don't sell CDs in the thousands, even hundreds. Who fucking cares? If when you look back, you can get out a collection of CDs on a par with The Moths' back catalogue, and show your children or grandchildren, or just look at it yourself during a private nostalgic moment; who gives a shit? Fuck the record companies. Fuck their narrow mindedness. Fuck their oversight. Fuck the commercial success. This is deeper than that. This has real integrity. Most of the bands that got signed in 1982 aren't still going, I am damn sure about that. Maybe, some have reformed after being offered significant amounts of money. But that doesn't demonstrate this kind of integrity. This kind of loyalty. This kind of vision.

This is the real thing. These guys will rock til they drop. Nothing is going to stop them. They are beyond caring or being influenced by anything outside their band. They will keep on rocking regardless of anyone, or anything.