The founder members of The Ugly Guys, Paul Shuttleworth and Vic Collins have been making music together since 1969, when they founded one of England’s first country rock bands Cow Pie. Paul and Vic went on to form The Kursaal Flyers in 1972 and were an integral part of the ‘Pub Rock’ scene that was flourishing in the UK at that time. The Kursaals were one of the few bands to break out of the pub rock scene when in 1977 they enjoyed a hit single with their Phil Spectoresque pastiche ‘Little Does She Know’.
Fast forward to 2003, when a chance meeting led Paul and Vic to explore the prospect of forming a new band to play the cosmic country music, they both loved. A call to guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Steve Oliver quickly formed the nucleus of the new band, which they named The Ugly Guys, taking the moniker from a much-loved Kursaal Flyers song.
‘Still Kickin” is a great introduction tot he music of the The Ugly Guys. Opening with ‘Ugly Guys’, a gentle reminder of the fickle nature of fame, the band rips through laid back melodic country rock. Love and loss features on ‘Rolling In The Deep’ while the gentle ballad of ‘Neil Young in The Dark’ harks back to a time of early love.
There is a cinematic feel to the epic ‘Plains of Mexico’. Weaving a tale of murder and betrayal the lyrics conjure up images of the American West often associated with the movies of Sergio Leone. Veering off into Rock and Roll territory, ‘Wrong Side of Memphis’ could sit easily on any Greaser Rock collection, while ‘Fragrance On The Wind’ gives a nod to the sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The strength of the Ugly Guys as highlighted on ‘Still Kickin” is the fact that there’s nothing flashy or over the top about the band. They quietly and expertly get on with making great music without ego that’s pure foot stomping fun.