THE SHAKE PRESS (3)
READING FEZ CLUB - 18.8.05
The Shake, who originally formed two years ago as The Immediate, until they had to change their name to accommodate a signed Irish band already using the name, played their first gig at a charity fundraiser at St. Barts School in Newbury and since then, as Faye, singer, told me, their sound hasn’t really changed but they’ve progressed in terms of the confidence they have to express themselves musically.
On stage, The Shake are certainly a phenomena to behold. Their eclectic influences of Soul, Jazz and 'new indie' join together to create an original sound and a lively performance, where fun and involvement are clearly highly ranked.
It is plain to see, from their stage performance, that Faye, Rog, Clive and Joost all love what they’re doing, and, as I was assured after their set, that they all get on really well and there are no cases of egotism within the band. “We all really work at what we do and, unlike many other bands of our age, what we do is up to us, we don’t have our parents carting equipment around for us. We’re completely D.I.Y”, they told me backstage.
Laura Tyrrell - BBC Berkshire
EP REVIEW 11.8.05
With a powerful voice like Faye Hurst's soaring out of this band, The Shake are off to a flying start. It would have to be a pretty poor song for her not to make something of it.
But The Shake don't just have Faye's voice, they have funky songs to boot. And despite their retro look and a certain thread of Small Faces/Love influence running throughout, we're not talking about a '60s tribute band here.
Alright, there's a touch of Hammond here, a splash of Motown there, a generous snifter of The Jam thrown in for good measure, but the four tracks on this EP (produced by Ed Deegan of The Cribs and Holly Golightly fame) - 'Troubled Scene', 'Loyal Union', 'Into The Sun' & 'All The Rage' - are in no way out of place in the 21st century (in a good way), - thanks partly to Joost Hendrickx's jazz-tinged drumming and, I suspect Clive Drew's Libertines loyalties.
'Troubled Scene' is a sunny, near-poppy piece of work, despite the angry lyrics, - "I need you like a hole in th head", 'Loyal Union' has obvious Smiths influences even down to the chorus nicking the line "this charming man" wholesale. 'Into The Sun' is the most Weller-style track, while 'All The Rage' is the catchiest tune of the lot, again pretty Smiths-y which a jangling guitar riff and an urgently danceable groove.
Recovering lost grounf following the theft of their former name The Immediate by some Irish upstarts with a record deal, The Shake have been described by Radio 1's Rob da Bank as a "fantastic freakbeat four-piece" and are currently in negotiations with hip Merseyside lable Chromium Records.
Catriona Reeves - Newbury Weekly News
