Flipron

Flipron are a group from Glastonbury, United Kingdom, active from 2003. Their music is an eccentric form of English rock and roll that draws on 1960s psychedelia and freakbeat, folk rock, 1970s glam and power pop, and also takes in Chicago blues, 1920s Hawaiian steel guitar music, French café music, Dixieland jazz and 1970s new wave rock.

Style and writing

Their songs are marked by unusual lyrical subjects, including old age, death, regret, remorse, obsession, dreams, and sometimes sex and love. The words often use surreal imagery, dense rhyme and dark humour. The band’s sound usually centres on guitar and vocals, organ or piano, bass and drums, with lap steel and mandolin also used regularly.

Instrumentation

Some recordings include unconventional sounds and objects, such as rusty chain, wind-up toys, clock chimes, kitchen utensils and human vocal effects. Examples named in the band’s catalogue include tracks such as “Ball & Chain”, “Clockwork Blues”, “The Egg Slicer, The Cheesegrater, The Knife” and “Zombie Blues”.

Releases and line-up

Flipron sign to Tiny Dog Records in 2003 and release four albums on the label: Fancy Blues & Rustique Novelties, Biscuits for Cerberus, Gravity Calling and Firework Shoes. The line-up includes Jesse Budd on vocals, guitar, lap steel, accordion, harmonica, ukulele, mandolin, dobro and clarinet; Joe Atkinson on organ, piano, some guitar, accordion and backing vocals; Mike Chitty on drums, percussion and backing vocals; and Tom Granville on bass guitar. Former members include Mark Wingfield, Greg Shepheard, Nick Walkling and John Thompson.