Fat White Family - Serfs Up!
And so the Fat White Family allow us entry into their decadent world once more.
It’s been quite a while since we heard from the south London outfit; after intriguing us all (and grossing some out) on their depraved debut Champagne Holocaust, in all its gleeful grime, things took a turn down a dark alley. The follow-up, Songs For Our Mothers from early 2016, sounded like their lifestyle had taken its toll on their psyches. No strangers to the more sinister trappings of inner-city London life, whilst also being a favoured rock band, the Whites had taken their high street sleaze and seemingly embraced the dark side on an album which was at points unbearably downbeat.
Not only that, but it was a lifetime ago. We were still in shock about David Bowie’s death when the album was released. Countless heroes have fallen since, to say nothing about the state of the western world. Whilst all this was happening the band’s core members, brothers Lias and Nathan Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski, relocated to Sheffield to distance themselves from temptation. Adamczewski followed after a sabbatical. They weren’t idle; numerous side projects occupied their creative urges including The Moonlandingz and The Insecure Men.
Now, the mother ship is ready to sail again and their extracurricular activities have broadened horizons to bring us a more refined, albeit no less cynical, sound.
Marketed as their ‘slick pop album’, Serfs Up! is a much more eclectic mix of sounds than that which has gone before. First single ‘Feet’ is slinky disco with striking strings and a restless humming choir adding to the song’s in-built sense of urgency. Better with every listen, there’s a sparkling gleam to the song which was missing from their previous work.
The whole album sounds like it has been given a polish after being bolted together industrially; ‘I Believe In Something Better’ pulses to accompany Lias’ whispering intensity over drunken banshee wailing and wonky synths. ‘Fringe Runner’ features crashing guitars and an addled bass line which add to the drama inherent in the song. It sounds like late-90s Blur as produced by Brian Eno in Berlin and is by far the most interesting thing they’ve ever done.
‘Kim’s Sunsets’ is almost joyful, steel drums adding to the drenched tropical air. We’re a long way from Peckham now. ‘Tastes Good With The Money’, meanwhile, has the boisterousness of Slade and The Monkees with added Dury (Baxter, not Ian) just for effect, and ‘Oh Sebastian’ has a gorgeous string arrangement worthy of McCartney.
Lyrically we’re often in familiar territory; ‘Feet’ references anal sex while ‘Bobby’s Boyfriend’ discusses prostitution at length. Whether or not that’s your cup of tea is a matter of choice, but abstaining for that reason would be short-sighted. Their previous albums were intriguing but hard listens. ‘Serfs Up!’ is smoother in every way; the blackened tinfoil has been stripped away, the hands have been washed and the core has been soaked in glitter.
They won’t trouble the hit parade, and may even lose some of the manly parka mob, but Fat White Family have finally made music as fascinating as themselves, without losing their subversive edge.