The Hiptones – ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’
OK these guys are cool. Not in the modern sense of the word, but more in the vernacular circa 1950s, like “Frank Sinatra is a cool cat”. The Hiptones blend contemporary Australian blues and roots with a New Orleans sense of funk and soul. Hammond organ and guitar thick with slap-back echo create a mood akin to a hazy lounge bar.
Vocalist Snooks La Vie, utilising the great vintage sounds of old-school microphones, has a smoky R&B style voice that suits the retro-inspired music of the band. The 62 T-bird. the clothes and the music all scream retro, and the band are riding the current pre-60s trend that acts such as The Basics are leading the way in. It was through a glowing review of their debut album Right Now in The Brag magazine in Sydney that I decided to give these guys a chance, and it is one of the coolest (there’s that word again) albums I’ve heard in quite a while.
They’ve recently signed to Sony BMG, but from what I can tell this Adelaide four piece has been kicking around since 2001. But info on their beginnings is fairly hazy, but they’ve supported Chris Isaac and played at a number of jazz festivals. They’ve got a previous recording to their name – Meet Me At The Sands – but I reckon you’d be hard-pressed to actually find a copy of it.
The coolest cats this side of the equator.
http://www.thehiptones.com
http://www.myspace.com/thehiptones
February 9, 2007 9:34 am
Sounds interesting. Thanks for this!
February 10, 2007 11:13 am
Don’t know how you did it, but nice work on getting a mention in the latest “Dolly” magazine! It sounds quite odd!
February 13, 2007 2:18 am
Hey there Dom,
Nice write up. Yeah – just getting set for our next shows in Adelaide. We LOVE making the grooves, and recording RIGHT NOW was totally out of site. Four days of madness. We’ve actually been around – like – forever. The line-up of the band is guitar, bass, drums, hammond organ, harmonica, and Snooks’ vox are totally hip. We did some wild shows in Sydney just before Christmas – we’ll catch you next time we’re there perhaps. Check out the grooves, and thanks for the profile. Should be getting out and about soon – we have some Festival gigs at the Adelaide Fringe coming up March 23 and 29. And we’ll be coming to some funky joint near you soon after that.
Brother T