‘Funk Won't Let Me Go' by Shanghai Hostage

Despite launching their recorded music on the world in 2019 via their self-titled EP, Shanghai Hostage have since been characterised as the classic singles band: the occasional (and hence highly anticipated) release of individual songs honed to perfection so their many fans can process them undistracted by accompanying tracks. This works very nicely in my book: it certainly helps the reviewing process.

Nonetheless, when people speak of leading local bands, this quintet are cited by so many and one of the duties which comes with such status must include having an album in your discography. And here at last is ‘Funk Won't Let Me Go'.

To be fair, you know these songs by & large. Singles "The King", "Convent", "Free Lovin' Woman" and "The French Song" have all been awarded places in the lineup and the remainder are highlights of their stunning live sets: now you get to listen to the likes of the title track (you may have sung on this live yourself) and "Mole Butterfly" in the privacy of your own homes.

I say "quintet" but the evolution of ‘Funk Won't Let Me Go' has witnessed a variety of musicians pass through the Hostage ranks and various guitarists & drummers therefore play on the songs recorded during their service alongside the founding core of Sophie (keyboard & vocals), Beth (guitar) and Rich (bass guitar). Sadly the latter is leaving due to personal relocation & hence the album can stand to this highly popular musician's legacy and the launch at FarGo on March 21^st is also a chance to bid him farewell & thank him for pleasure brought. I have no idea how he'll be replaced: few other bass players desert the stage to play amongst their audience so often: a move which is such a part of the band's live DNA.

If the lineup changes make your head spin a little anyway, when you go to the said gig, you'll get to see Justin from Duck Thieves playing guitar: but he is kindly standing in while Ben is Down Under and doesn't in fact play on any of the album tracks: and then you need to take account of the many Ian plays on before he left. And drums are by Dom or Zeke to a large extent. Confused? I'm sure Shanghai Hostage won't mind you being a little that way. Humour is as much part of their thing as skewering misogyny and pomposity. And indeed commenting on personal metamorphosis.

I did actually talk through the "who plays on which song" business with Sophie at The Tin the other evening & very helpful she was too: however too much fine detail I feel would make this article a series of lists rather than a reflection of the glories of the songs so big respect to the whole cohort of contributing musicians. (I'm not sure Pete Frame is intending to do one of his "Rock Family Trees" around Shanghai Hostage but he'd have his work cut out connecting everyone & their other bands…)

An album whose tracks were recorded between 2020 and 2025 will necessarily demonstrate the artist's process, though Sophie also indicated that the big breakthrough for them was in terms of getting to grips with production: lessons learned with that debut EP have informed all subsequent releases.

Beyond that naturally a whole load of factors must have applied: getting to know each other's playing, adjusting to new playmates, self development as musicians, music they were listening to, outside events etc: they must all be in there somewhere.

No one can write about the band without deploying the word "funk" (the album title reinforces that) and it's fascinating how the incredibly disparate musical backgrounds of the various members seem to have found common ground in "music to make you dance": given their other previous bands etc it's possible that not merely some but possibly all of them acquired the funk to some degree in order to make this music….  while the different traditions coming together have definitely created that magical melting pot in which great music is made, it's intriguing to consider that this may be that rare phenomenon: a band created with relatively few commonalities of musical style who've coalesced into a great group via their underlying approach to making music instead.

I'd better complete the track listing though at some point having named only six of the ten cuts: the others being "The Protector", "Trash Muffin", "Forbidden Fruit" and "Sleepwalking into Disaster".

Given the range of contributors and the previously mentioned factors, although the funk is the glue which binds the set together (as the title suggests obliquely), the diversity of actual music & song themes is extensive.

Gender equality & justice is a key interest but that's the more comprehensible end of the spectrum: by "Mole Butterfly" we're hitting the surreal end: yes we all get metamorphosis but not between those two creatures: at least not in our world. You do in theirs.

It's a whole heap of fun for sure but within the sugar coating of humour, serious issues are at stake. Stripped of the visuals of nuns' habits etc, perhaps these are more prominent on record which is no bad thing. In fact all the songs, regardless of subject, have an earnestness of delivery. Whatever they are singing about & whether you fully get it or not, you know they mean it.

Some of it is really heavy (check out "Trash Muffin" for some delightfully dirty dirty sounds) while others display a lightness of touch and nimbleness that in all honesty exceeds the usual British stabs at funk & approaches the sort of level of sophistication of the original US pioneers: I hear much of The Meters in songs like "Forbidden Fruit" or "The Protector" for example.

So what happens next? Having effectively captured Phase One of their career in recorded form, do Shanghai Hostage have some sort of tabula rasa going forwards into the next chapter? Well I suppose they do.. not that getting these songs out & tweaking the lineup by themselves trigger any sort of new approach necessarily: I have always got the impression that the band operate on instinct more than calculation and hence no-one can ever second guess their next song: even they seem surprised by some of them. I'm guessing that the funk will be in there somewhere though. Personally I'd love to hear what might ensue if they could collaborate with a brass section……