It was initially conceived to release the former La’s/ Onset frontman Mike Badger’s solo LP ‘Volume’ and The La’s pre-’87 recordings back in 1999, yet fifteen years later Liverpool’s The Viper Label remains a paragon of independent virtue; not just existing but proudly doing its inimitable thing in its own time and space while most ‘indie’ labels are either on their last legs or have long since gone to the wall.
That Viper has now been around for 15 years and is clocking up its 100th release (with the ace, self-explanatory label compilation ‘Viper 100’) is, in itself, something to celebrate in these penurious financial times, but it’s to the credit of co-founders Mike Badger and Paul Hemmings that they’ve decided to put on a birthday bash stuffed with such style and panache.
The Palm House in Liverpool’s Sefton Park is, admittedly, an impressive venue by anyone’s standards. Originally designed and built in 1896 by Edinburgh architects Mackenzie and Moncur, it’s a magnificent example of late Victorian grandeur and it’s survived despite wartime damage and post-war years of neglect and disrepair. A remarkable, three-tier, domed conservatory, its myriad of glass panes were painstakingly replaced during an extensive refurbishment programme during the 1990s and, in these post-Y2K days, much of its original glory has been successfully restored. With its exotic plants, spiral staircases and even scrupulously clean bathroom facilities, it really is the ideal setting for an ambitious extravaganza such as this.
There again, this kind of jamboree can often stand or fall on organisation alone, so first and foremost, hats off to Mike Badger and Paul Hemmings, for their execution is faultless tonight. There’s a discreet DJ manning the decks; compere Dave Owen keeps the programme moving adroitly and there are loads of fantastic ‘tween set touches including seductive burlesque dancers and packs of Viper-themed cards which later double as raffle tickets.
Musically, the seven mini-sets reflect the diverse wealth of Merseyside talent Viper have nurtured over the past decade and a half. First to take the stage is MARTYN CAMPBELL, a man with a labyrinthine past, whose credits include time with Rain, The Lightning Seeds and Shack. He’s also an accomplished performer in his own right, however, and tonight’s emotive set (with additional electric guitar colour from Paul Hemmings) winds down with his plaintive cover of ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’, originally penned by one of Liverpool’s great unsung heroes, Jimmy Campbell.
Up next, MATT BARTON’S talent may have been overlooked somewhat insofar as he was originally in the original incarnation of Tramp Attack which also featured future Zutons leader Dave McCabe. The band’s second line-up (also featuring members of Mike Badger’s current charges, The Shady Trio), though, were responsible for one of Viper’s most underrated LPs, the eccentric, skiffle-flavoured ‘Call In Sick’, from which Barton treats us to ‘Write A Letter’ as well as several other unfamiliar, but quirkily enjoyable tunes before rapidly departing.
Legendary folk-blues duo The Hokum Clones, meanwhile, were one of Liverpool’s hottest properties around the turn of the new millennium. Yet, despite a seemingly endless round of support dates with The Coral and loads of shows at ‘Acoustic Engine’ nights in Liverpool and nearby Crosby, they never actually made an album. This has done nothing to harm their posthumous reputation and indeed several of their most notable recordings have graced Viper compilations including ‘The Great Liverpool Acoustic Experiment’ and ‘21st Century Liverpool Underground’.
There’s just the one ex-Clone, ROBBY STEVENSON, lurking in The Palm House tonight, but his brief set is inspired throughout. Top marks should probably be meted out to his moody version of Frankie Laine’s ‘Jezebel’ which has more than a touch of evil about it, though Robby does equally well to invoke much of the apocalyptic thunder of Robert Johnson’s ‘If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day’ while performing it in stripped-down fashion all on his lonesome.
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In the same vein as Martyn Campbell, Pete Wilkinson (aka AVIATOR) is a well-known face in this neck of the woods, having contributed to Cast and Shack among others. He’s joined tonight by two acolytes toting lap/ pedal steel and a minimal drum set-up and his set is quietly hypnotic, taking in a mesmeric ‘Burning Car’ from his first Viper LP (2002’s ‘Huxley Pig #1’) and a bittersweet ‘Don’t Trust The Man’: a barbed jibe at plenty of rather less than salubrious rock’n’roll managers.
The light is dimming outside as MIKE BADGER and PAUL HEMMINGS step up to play a memorable, but all-too-brief set that’s steeped in history. They open with a charged rendition of The La’s 1986 set opener ‘Breakloose’, before changing down for the country-flavoured ‘Lovin’ On Our Side’ and then an impassioned version of The Onset’s greatest hit, ‘First I Feel You’; packing quite a punch despite the absence of a rhythm section. They save perhaps the best ‘til last, however, dipping into Mike’s ‘Volume’ LP for a heartfelt ‘Silhouette’. It’s tonight dedicated to the recently deceased Alan Wills: founder of another influential Scouse imprint, Deltasonic, and an all round good guy whose presence shall be sorely missed around these parts.
Mike and Paul’s set having shifted the proceedings up a gear, the show’s special guest, TOMMY SCOTT takes the stage. He has, of course, experienced multi-platinum sales at the helm of popular Britpop-era combo Space so you wouldn’t expect nerves, but he’s genuinely in awe of Viper’s co-founders, muttering “these guys are my two heroes!” before launching into a storming version of Space’s ‘Neighbourhood’ with help from Paul Hemmings’ versatile guitar. It’s great but trumped by his second tune - a charismatic version of monster hit ‘Female Of The Species’ accentuated by burlesque dancers and additional backing vocals from Mike Badger – which, on balance, is arguably the highlight of the whole evening.
Not that the multi-talented EDGAR ‘SUMMERTYME’ JONES is ever going to let us go home feeling short-changed. He’s assembled a remarkable canon of work over the past 25 years with The Stairs, The Big Kids, The Joneses and more, but tonight he’s in stripped-down form, armed with just with his trusty acoustic and Dave Owen and Mark Percy providing a Dion & The Belmonts-style vibe with handclaps and doo-wop vocal parts.
As with everything else this evening, it’s short, sweet and sublime, with choice cuts from Edgar’s Joneses’ catalogue (‘Mellow Down Pussycat’ and a truncated take of the Charles Mingus-referencing ‘Short Prayer For The Emancipation Of The Deserved’) eventually leading to an extended version of The Stairs’ Stones-esque ganja classic ‘Weed Bus’ with the audience providing percussive support from their customised Viper shakers.
It’s a tremendous finale and a fitting tribute to the style, content and good old bloody-mindedness that fuels The Viper Label’s way of doing things. Indeed, at a time when most imprints of this calibre have been placed on the endangered species list (or worse) it’s heartening to think that a few can still survive and hopefully even thrive in the future. Happy Birthday Mike and Paul: we salute you and Viper’s continued good health most sincerely.
The Viper Label online
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