BENJI KIRKPATRICK AND THE EXCESS – Gold Has Worn Away (Westpark Music LC07535)

Gold Has Worn AwayGold Has Worn Away by Benji Kirkpatrick and The Excess is a real grower of an album. Benji Kirkpatrick, Pete Flood and Pete Thomas deliver fifty-seven minutes of dynamic and rhythmic roots music which I’ve had on repeat in the car and absolutely love it.

I expect this will come as a surprise to most people, but I asked for this album to review as I wondered what Pete Thomas had been up to not having seen him since a gig with Megan Henwood in late 2018. I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t come across either Benji Kirkpatrick’s or Pete Flood’s work even though they are associated with such bands as Bellowhead and Faustus. What have I missed out on?

This debut album from the trio was recorded at Henwood Studios by Pete Brown and Adventures in Audio by Matt Williams and the guest musicians are Rowan Godel and Janie Mitchell. The production is fantastic and every song crisp and fresh.

The subject matter covered is, as with many musicians these days, a comment on today’s social and political environment with a touch of personal perspective. That said the songs are in the main vibrant and upbeat and get the head nodding and fingers drumming the steering wheel.

I’m not sure who Benji would say who his influences were for this album, but as I grew up listening to mainstream rather than folk music I hear Yes, early Genesis, Robert Palmer and Joe Jackson, not many folk names in that list I know, but this is an album hard to categorise in any one genre.

The tracks I particularly enjoyed were “In Your Cave” (reminded me of ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’) and who can’t smile at a track called “Stuck In The Loop”, which is one of the three instrumentals included in this gem of thirteen track album. This is a 5* album as golden as the CD sleeve, so go and have a listen.

I think they would be a fun band to see live and I’m regretting missing out on their UK tour in the summer, especially as they’d got as close to me as Winchester. Hopefully it won’t be too long before they tour again.

Duncan Chappell

Artist’s website: https://www.benjikirkpatrick.com/

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