The Earth - Rubbish Man

The Earth
Rubbish Man

Single UK 2012 on Strangetown Records label
Pop

Brought together by twin titans of the Welsh music scene Mark Roberts, formerly of stratospheric hitmakers Catatonia and Dafydd Ieuan - the rhythmic pulse of leftfield pop alchemists Super Furry Animals, the line up is completed by the formidable presence of Dionne Bennett. Until recently seen bolstering Hollywood star Rhys Ifans’s loose-limbed indie rock crew The Peth on backing vocals, she’s stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight to find her natural home. A towering presence both physically and vocally, this particular Miss Dynamite who was born and brought up in South London, has put her sizeable stamp on The Earth’s heavenly soul-packed sound. The band’s impressive creations are big, bold soul pop songs that reverberate with Motown’s rousing four to the floor grooves, and at other times – pared down and stripped back - they bruise the emotions with the earthy gutsiness of Alabama Shakes. These are fertile times for the group who have hit a rich seam of songwriting form. “At the moment we’re putting the finishing touches to the first album,” says Mark. “And we’ve completed half of the next album as well.” “It’s great at the minute,” agrees Dionne. “Whenever we meet up we’re either finishing something off or starting something else. It’s really exciting because we don’t know what’s going to come out next. “It’s reached the point now,” interjects Daf, “when we’re expecting something to happen. “I’m overwhelmed by it. I never expected it to be as easy as it was, it’s been so creative and you can indulge yourself in it. “It’s fun because it’s so natural and effortless, even though there’s a lot of effort being put into it,” adds the Furries sticksman who has been overseeing sessions at his Strangetown Records studio in Cardiff – a centre of collaborative excellence if recent output is any yardstick. “I have the utmost respect for Mark and Daf,” confides Dionne who relocated to Wales when she fell in love with a Welshman and found herself at the opposite end of the M4. “I’m working with two people who are great people who have achieved great things, things that I want to do myself. Sometimes I am in awe. I was at the beginning. I’ve learnt so much from them.” The feeling of admiration is evidently mutual. “When Dionne puts her stamp on a song it just comes out totally different to what I was expecting,” states Mark. “She constantly surprises me where she goes with it. Always in a good way.” Using iconic and gritty female voices as Tina Turner and Merry Clayton - whose powder keg vocals ignite The Rolling Stones’ rock ‘n’ soul classic Gimme Shelter - as a blueprint for their soulful ideology, theirs is a sound that that manages the neat trick of smearing lipstick on your face while pushing dirt under your fingernails. “When we were talking about those singers, there were things I could hear in Dionne’s voice that I thought we could apply to a really sort of ballsy sound,” explains Daf. It’s a coming together that marries the glamour of The Supremes to the earthiness of Janis Joplin and transports it via a psychedelic lightning rod to an altogether different plane. Songs such as Rubbish Man – the first single to be released from The Earth, is symptomatic of this universal approach; an exercise in soul and teeth baring in equal measure underpinned by a blistering Northern Soul beat. “We’re just talking about real life and relationships in our lyrics,” says Dionne. “I like Rubbish Man, the message is simple. I find it quite funny and so true. You know, it’s when you meet someone and they’re just crap. Then when they’ve moved on and you know that woman who is with that person now, she’s going to find out how rubbish they are,” adds the singer, whose cracked laughter crackles with experience on this issue. For the future, the stage awaits. The band have played two shows thus far – the first in the improbable surrounds of a Welsh cider festival. “It was the perfect low-key gig to launch the band, even though there were plenty of drunken people there and one man walking around in a Mankini,” laughs Mark. They admit they’re still finding their feet but are now champing at bit to free up the fruits of their labours. “We want to get out there and let everyone hear it and enjoy it as much as we do,” enthuses Dionne. “This is all I’ve ever wanted to do my whole life. Now we just want to play and play and play.”