NEW FLOOR SHOW

It's enough to make grown men weep.
Lamchop's fifth album, Nixon (City Slang), found the Nashville based 14 piece collective finally achieving everything they've promised.

A fragile and luscious combination of Hank Williams country with the rich arrangements of '70s soul, it's an ambitious work universally heralded by critics as "the alt.county Pet Sounds."
"I feel comfortable about how we've combined all the different elements," says former floor layer Wagner of his deft melding of musical styles.
"It just grew out of the fact that they are kinds of music we all like to listen to.
"All those musical styles - country, soul, gospel - basically all have their roots in a kind of working class approach. They also, like rock'n'roll, come out of church music. You add those elements together, and there's a religious fervour."
Climbing out of a long forgotten mid-80s band, Lambchop came into being in 1990. Since then the rapidly expanding collective have continued to come together to create their unique sound, driven simply by their love of playing together.
Live, they truly shine, but Wagner sees their perfectly crafted records as a means to ensure that they can continue to perform and enjoy each others company.
"I think we're just a band who likes to hang-out in the studio, but we're not like Steely Dan or something. For me it's kind of practical, recording helps the band continue and gives your songs life. We just like getting together, and I want to ensure that we keep making records."
With the rest of the band holding down 9-5 jobs (and very few small UK venues able to cope with the full contingent), Wagner is out performing solo, eager to break-in new material for the next album.
"It does get quite lonely playing solo," he laughs. "So I usually bring along tapes which different members of the band have given me to keep me company. I sort of just weave them in and out of what I'm doing. I don't rely on having to play to them, they sort of play with me. I know that's hard to imagine, but it's not an over-ridding thing, it's an addition, a supplement. You'll just have to see it …"
Dave Freak, What's On, November 2000