Si Jubb is a
singer-songwriter from the south of England. But stop
right there, forget acoustic strummers sat on stools with
fey tales of smooth lovelives. Si Jubb bashes the life
out of an electric guitar and his raw sound and reverbed
vocals are far closer to
the Billy Bragg 'Between The Wars' style of song
delivery. 'State Of My Union' is a caustic,barbed song
with searing, ringing electric guitar and Si’s
ironic style of vocal delivery. In fact the wholeof the Demonstration
EP rung with street styles tales of ordinary hang-ups and
frustrations. With a look along the lines of a young
Elvis Costello, Si Jubb delves deep into the "have
guitar can and will play" attitude of late 70s
troubadour Wreckless Eric, drawing on a lifetime of
experiences, observations and wry takes on troubled
times.The spiky sneer of 'Malarkey' and 'Dear Friend of
Mine' are the perfect backdrop to 2009 and it’s
bleak social landscape. The word is Si Jubb is about to
head off Stateside with his guitar in tow to find yet
more inspiring, engaging tales of everyday madness. But
will they get 'Her Indoors'?
Reviewed in Fuse by Andy Tibbs, UK
Si Jubb hails from London, but has the kind of dulcet
tones that could have him figured for a northerner. Si is
a modern singer/songwriter, but one who cuts his material
from protest song, from the heart of a romantic and from
the mind of an astute political observer. 'State Of My
Union' finds Mr Jubb with an electric guitar expelling a
shower of energetic roller coaster sparks, much in the
vein, it has to be said, of Billy Bragg. As the guitar
bounces off the solid ring of amplified electrified
steel, Jubb’s voice is sufficiently mellow and
rebounding. Great melodies ensue as does Si Jubb’s
vigorous retro-styled attack, that could rightly have
placed him on the Stiff Records rosta in 1978. (MMM ½)
Reviewed at Music-Dash by Parker Knoll, UK
Been an age since we had any
Pink Hedgehog apparel with which to treat our turntable
to and so it was with much joy that we tore open the
discreetly stickered package when it arrived and
relocated said contents immediately from their confines
and onto the house player and proceeded to jump around
the bijou dimensions of our gaff. Having recently parted
from the Dirty Sleeves and armed with just a guitar and
the occasional appearance of a piano Si Jubb Carruthers
fixes his observational gaze, sharpens his lyrical pen
and exorcises his troubling ghosts and lines up ex
lovers, cultural divides and whatever he can find to
un-amuse him up against the wall to await the volleys of
sarcasm and cutting candour.
Featuring four torch
bearing salutations barked from one man’s personal
life crusade, Carruthers is a bullshit detecting and
cutting straight to the quick wordsmith armed and loaded
with the kind of personal conviction that will no doubt
draw immediate comparisons to Billy Bragg’s Life’s
a Riot with Spy vs. Spy work especially where the
opening brace of cuts 'State of My Union' and 'Malarkey'
(incidentally the best cut here) are concerned given that
both are graced with that self same hollowed reverb sound
and dispatched equally with that same shut up and listen
bar stool politician styled delivery. Yet scratch a
little deeper and you’ll find the same acutely open
sore and vaguely teeth bared warts 'n' all assessment on
love (as on the parting and dare I say despairing
sounding 'Her Indoors') as often encountered by Darren
Hayman in his early career guise as front man for Hefner
while the souring 'Dear Friend of Mine' and the
aforementioned 'Malarkey' both point perhaps to a kinship
sound wise with the Arms. A bit of gem if you ask me.
Reviewed at Losing Today by Mark Barton, UK
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