Never A Frown, With Washington Brown…

“I think bands, solo artists, ensembles, whatever you want to call them, should exist in an accelerated state, in dog years”. And so it’s gone for Pete Gofton, once drummer Johnny X in Sunderland’s ace punk-poppers Kenickie, once J Xaverre behind 2003’s lovely ‘These Acid Stars’ LP, once instigator of north-east ‘supergroup’ Meet Eric Roberts and now once again returning under the new guise of George Washington Brown,with the messed-up masterpiece that is ‘On A Night Plain’. Having in-between been involved with a few film projects as well as a spot of music industry A+R-ing, Gofton’s first tunes in four years finally arrive now because “anyone who ‘creates’ should only do so when they have something to say”. And of yet another new name? “The songs are new, different label, different people involved - why not?”

Why not, indeed. With the ten tunes that make up ‘On A Night Plain’, Pete Gofton, aka Lauren Laverne’s brother, aka George Washington Brown, has made a (almost totally self-penned and performed) record that is - according to my notes - warm, wistful and welcoming (I’m all out of ‘w’ words now), has hooks, harmonies and heart (and there goes the ‘h’ ones), with a DIY homespun sensibility and a kooky lo-fi charm, like Brian Wilson by way of Belle And Sebastian; like Phil Spector’s wall of sound by way of a crumbling basement four-track. Outstanding album opener ‘It Still Rains’ - which begins as a chiming acoustic lament, before a mini-choir kicks in half-way through, and it all then proceeds to collapse into a wonderfully beaten heap - best sums-up this pop record for pop fans sick of what currently constitutes pop.

But what of those rumours that George Washington Brown is Pete Gofton’s final alias and ‘On A Night Plain’ his final release? “Every record I make is my last record. Until I feel like I have something I need to pull out of my head and present to the public, this is my last record”. Last record or not, ‘On A Night Plain’ is a pretty smart way for PG to wrap it for now. Few things are guaranteed to confuse the record buying public quite like a musician who refuses to stick to one set style or one set name. One listen to George Washington Brown and this rather wonderful confusion almost makes perfect sense. IF

George Washington Brown’s ‘On A Night Plain’ was released on August 27 07 via Static Caravan. It’s an ultra-limited vinyl with CD included release so move quicker than quick, like now (!), to avoid any disappointment.

Go seek: www.myspace.com/georgewashingtonbrown for more info.

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