August
31, 2000 - Volume VIII, Issue 35
Defector rockin' in the free world
By John Hayes
His family escaped the Communist regime in 1974. "People
were still escaping in the 1970s," he told me. "We first arrived
in Sweden where I would make money by selling bubble gum to the kids at school
before moving to Canada to join family members who had left back in 1956."
Moving again at the age of 18, he found himself in London. His teenage years
were spent trawling the London rock scene and hanging out with the stars at
the original Marquee Club on Wardour Street.
The Skinny Bohemians formed in London in 1990 and suffered several false starts.
They lost members of the band to everyone including crusty rockers New Model
Army. After several years the line-up was finally stabilized and is now exclusively
Hungarian.
The Skinnies currently split their time between the UK and Hungary on a 50/50
basis. Szemes told me they feel they have to be in London to be near the music
industry but it makes financial sense to write, rehearse and record in Budapest.
It is probably also a relief for the band's bass guitarist, Lepke, to return
to Hungary and be able to communicate using more than the five words of English
he knows: Shoes, boots, spoon, fork and flag.
"It's beautiful," Zoltán told me. "He has five words of almost
completely useless English but he communicates by drawing the most beautiful
pictures. He is a very creative soul and it brings people close to him."
Musically speaking, the band take influences from rockers from the '60s and
'70s, including Led Zeppelin, The Doors and Iggy Pop but have fused the tunes
with hints of The Cult, Smashing Pumpkins and Szemes's personal favorite,
Placebo.
The result of this mix of old and new is a highly approachable and radio-friendly
form of music, although with an edge dirty enough to repel your mother.
You can visit the band's web site at www.skinnybohemians.com
The Skinnies’ fat sound
By John Hayes
A visit to the Skinny
Bohemians’ regular hangout and watering hole, the City Bar on Almássy tér,
will testify to the band’s Bohemian status, but I would never describe them
as skinny.
I am of course referring to their music and not their girth.
The Skinnies specialize in fat guitar riffs, stadium pleasing vocal anthems
and gritty yet stylish production.
Their latest single Me & God testifies to this and is a fine example of
the talents of one of Hungary’s best but largely undiscovered bands.
Despite their obvious talents for writing catchy and almost instantly memorable
tunes, The Skinny Bohemians are far from self-indulgent and are not afraid
to take a stab at themselves.
In the opening lines of this single, vocalist Zoltán Szemes whispers the line,
"I used to be good looking and now I’m not, it’s just a joke between me and
God," before launching into their trademark funk laced rock-n-roll riot.
It’s nice to see such honesty in a music scene crippled with bad taste and
a general lack of talent.
In a just and fair world, The Skinny Bohemians would have already been snapped
up by a major record company and be playing to a much wider audience.
As it is they are already an office favorite here at The Budapest Sun and
with a sound as fat as the Skinnies, they cannot remain a secret for that
much longer.
Me & God by The Skinny Bohemians
Price: Ft1,299
Available by mail at band website
www.skinnybohemians.com
Distributed by Universal