Hardwicke Circus: “Fly The Flag” (2023) CD Review

Hardwicke Circus is a band based in northern England, founded by brothers Jonny Foster and Tom Foster. They released their first album, The Borderland, in 2021, and followed it the next year with a live album, At Her Majesty’s Pleasure, recorded at prison chapels. An unusual start, to be sure, but this is a band that seems determined to forge its own path. The lineup changed somewhat between the first and second releases, and likewise between the second and third. On this new album, Fly The Flag, the band is made up of Jonny Foster on vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and keyboards; Tom Foster on vocals, drums and percussion; Lewis Bewley-Taylor on vocals, grand piano, accordion, trumpet, theremin, organ, synthesizer and clavinet; Joe Hurst (who joined the band before the second album) on vocals and bass; and Jack Pearce on vocals, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone and bass. Terry Edwards is on baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and trumpet, playing on half of the album’s tracks. There are also some special guests on various tracks. The album features mostly original material.

The album gets off to a really good start with “Everyday I Find The Luck,” a fun and fast-paced pop gem written by Jonny Foster and Tom Foster. The song has great youthful energy and a positive, encouraging feel. “I can tell that I’m getting close/Closer to the prize at the end of the road/Hidden in those hollow halls/Show me a sign, is it all I’ve got/I’m giving it my best shot/I’m giving it my best shot.” Ah yes, giving it our best shot is all any of us can do, right? And listening to this song, we feel we’ll be successful. Zack McDade plays electric guitar on this track. That’s followed by “Bang My Head (To The Rhythm Of Life),” which begins with a cool rhythm. I’m digging that bass line. The song soon kicks in,  the music taking on some rhythm and blues elements, particularly in the horns and work on keys. Snake Davis joins the band on horns, and Seamus Beaghan (known for his work with Iggy Pop) plays organ on this one. This one too has a good energy. “I asked to take her out dancing/Nothing drastic, no no no/She politely declined/Saying a girl like her could never be seen with a guy like me.” Toward the end, we return to that opening. This song was written by Tom Foster.

As “True Love & Near Misses” begins, it feels like it’s going to ease in, creating an interesting atmosphere, but then suddenly bursts into a delicious pop realm. Once that vibe is established, we get an interesting first line, “I’m beginning to suspect I’m made of glass.” This one was written by Lewis Bewley-Taylor. I like when a band sometimes plays with listeners’ expectations, taking a familiar line and changing it to give it a different, unexpected meaning. And these guys do it here with a line that will be familiar to all Lord Of The Rings fans, singing “Not all those who wander here have lost/True love, true love.” I also like these lines: “Eventually all sadness fades/Time heals the pain/And I turn to grey.” Yes, it feels like it might take that long, doesn’t it? “Can You Hear Me Now?” also has an intriguing opening line: “I was there at the graveyard of the empire.” And though this song has a rather bright pop sound, it contains serious lyrics about refugees, perhaps influenced by certain music of the 1980s, when sometimes a rather serious lyric caught us by surprise because of the sound of the song. Steve McGuckin plays organ on this track, and there is a choir. This song was written by Jonny Foster.

The vocal part at the beginning of “Rejection Is Better Than Regret” will bring to mind a section of “Twist And Shout.” Then the track becomes a fun and kind of sweet pop song. It touches on the modern aspects of relationships, with a verse about social media: “I see you on the internet/Posting photos with your friends, I bet/I’m not surprised by the likes you get.” And then, surprisingly, there is a brief drum solo in the second half, which I love. Soon after that the “Twist And Shout” vocal part is revisited. This song was written by Tom Foster. The band slows things down a bit with “Battlefield,” yet there is still a catchy element to the track. And check out these lines: “Our wounds surround us/We’re so afraid/To claim our troubles/Will loyalty still remain?/I live on a battlefield/Where love has turned to rust/In a war that’s made for us.” This track features some really nice work on saxophone, and Seamus Beaghan returns on organ. This is one of my personal favorite tracks. It was written by Jonny Foster.

“A Johnny Come Lately” has a cheerful vibe right from the start. And these lines make me smile every time I listen to this song: “A glass half full/Or a glass half empty, I’m not thirsty anyway.” Again, I love the way they take a familiar line, and then play with it. This song also gives the album its title in the line, “I’m flying the flag for you.” “A Johnny Come Lately” was written by Jonny Foster and Tom Foster. That’s followed by “The Colour In Everything.” As this one begins, it reminds me strongly of The Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” and throughout the track there is a 1960s influence heard. Seamus Beaghan joins the band again on organ, and Snake Davis joins on horns. “You are the colour in everything/The writing on my window/The song I’m yet to sing.” This one was written by Jonny Foster.

The band’s first album concluded with a song titled “Debatable Land,” which is about the area the band is from. Now on this album, the band gives us “Our Town,” which is also about their area of England. “Metal clanging in the factory yard/The jobs in our town/Red brick houses full of roving hearts/Making love in our town.” And after a line about a man who “blows his saxophone,” we hear the saxophone, seemingly at a bit of a distance, as if it is that man. This track has an odd ending, going into a rap. Then “Night Train To London” begins with a creepy laugh, like from a Halloween compilation or from Jabba the Hutt, and it too mentions their town: “Steam trumpets reach Carlisle.” This track a delicious ska and punk vibe, and is another of my personal favorites. What great energy! “Alive, alive/Is there anybody alive?/Destination the other side/ The night train to London town, town.” That’s followed by “It’s Not Over Till It’s Over,” which also has a lively feel. “I’m down on my knees/But I won’t move an inch/I’m going nowhere/I’ve gotta show you/It’s not over/‘Til it’s never gonna be this way again.” Yeah, it’s a rousing number. Both “Night Train To London” and “It’s Not Over Till It’s Over” make me really want to see this band in concert. The album concludes with its sole cover, Rosco Gordon’s “No More Doggin’,” and these guys deliver a wonderful rendition, jamming on it. Earl Slick plays electric guitar on this track, and there is plenty of great guitar work. There is also some nice stuff on keys. This is a fun way to wrap things up.

CD Track List

1. Everyday I Find The Luck
2. Bang My Head (To The Rhythm Of Life)
3. True Love & Near Misses
4. Can You Hear Me Now?
5. Rejection Is Better Than Regret
6. Battlefield
7. A Johnny Come Lately
8. The Colour In Everything
9. Our Town
10. Night Train To London
11. It’s Not Over Till It’s Over
12. No More Doggin’

Fly The Flag was released on June 9, 2023 on Alternative Facts Records.