No-one could have predicted that the Happy Mondays would be the last
survivors of the Madchester scene more than fifteen years after its heydey.
Their former excesses make Pete Doherty look like an amateur in the rock 'n'
roll stakes, so it is a miracle that Shaun Ryder is still alive let alone
performing again. That said he is doing it for money rather than love.
Not that it shows on the band's new single Playground Superstar, thrown
together for the new footie film Goal!. While it may not rank alongside
classics like "Step On" or "Loose Fit" as one of the band's finer moments,
it serves as a decent reminder of the baggy era for anyone who likes to
reminisce.
Shaun's trademark shambolic vocals, accompanied by the chaotic funk-rock
instrumental, are all present, but what's best about this single is that it
couldn't have been made by any other band. Playground Superstar is
distinctively Happy Mondays and for that reason it is definitely worth a
listen. For anyone who missed them first time around there is no-one
quite like them.
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