You could have knocked me down with a feather when I thumbed my way through today’s Grauniad music reviews and saw the name ‘Kongos.’
Kongos? John Kongos? ‘He’s gonna step on you’, ‘Tokoloshe Man’, ‘Great White Lady’, ‘I Number Seven (only wants to get to heaven)’, ‘Higher Than God’s Hat’ Kongos? Well, yes and no.
Kongos is a band which comprises Dylan, Daniel, Jesse and Johnny Kongos and guess who their dad is? It’s John, who decamped to Arizona many years ago. I have visited his website on countless occasions and always it says ‘Under Construction’ which I suspect means bugger all is going on with it because bugger all has happened to it.
Anyway, Kongos sound really bloody good.
Dad John was from South African and his tunes had more than a hint of Africa about them and his sons seem to have that in their DNA. If I’d heard ‘Come with me now’ without being told who it was by, I’d have said John Kongos without hesitation.
As I travel slowly from middle age towards bus pass territory, I still feel the need to seek out new music, to complement the old stuff that clutters my music collection. I am loathe to join the ‘music isn’t what it used to be’ club, inhabited by so many and probably started by my grandfather’s generation who had the most terrible musical taste of all.
Kongos gives me the chance to wallow in nostalgia, as well as providing me with the opportunity of trying to regain some street creed wiv da yoof, as young people are known these days.
I am going to purchase this long player as soon as it comes out because it sounds great, although the reverse side is that it also has the potential to make my tinnitus even worse.
Kongos, from Arizona, by way of England and before that South Africa.
Sounds like the old boy has given a fine musical education to his boys.
