Review – mav and Her Majesty’s Finest “The Upper Hip”

EP on Global Saville Records

Mav is back with Her Majety’s Finest and a new (March 2002) EP “The Upper Hip” through their own Global Saville Records.

The Rickenbackers feature prominently, as they do on Mod Pop tunes the likes of which Mav and Her Majety’s Finest are expected to create. And news is afoot that we can expect an album some time soon! So perhaps this record is an example of what we can expect, like the other EPs before. 

Their own press suggests that Picture The Sun is a Blondie-inspired dance-beat; that Peggy Wednesday is a tilt at The Replacements; that She’s So Happy is a respectful nod to The Easybeats and The Zoot; that Soul Stretching (released by the band last year as well) is a stout-inspired chorus featuring Tarkus on Hammond. That’s all well and good, but all I can say is that I somehow doubt that Dick Diamonde could have pulled that bass-solo out of his repertoire (imagine Pete Townshend and John Entwistle riffing out in a battle of the basses during a Who show!)

The rest of it, well, I’ll add to the band’s press by saying that Mod Pop is alive and well in St Kilda and won’t be going anywhere in too much of a hurry! Hurrah!!««««¶