Anthony Genn has had rather a chequered history. He was in a very early incarnation of Pulp, became infamous as Elastica's streaker at Glastonbury and later joined them temporarily as a keyboard player, and was part of Joe Strummer's band The Mescaleros for a time, co-writing the acclaimed Rock Art And The X-Ray Style with the former Clash man.
Yet Genn deserves to be known for something other than a minor figure in the history of Britpop if this single by his band The Hours is anything to go by. Propelled along by an addictive piano riff, Ali In The Jungle is a superior slice of anthemic indie with some superb lyrics worthy of his old mate Jarvis ("Ludwig Van, how I love that man, the guy went deaf and didn't give a damn").
Considering that only a few years ago Genn was a full-blown heroin addict, the final plaintive line of Ali In The Jungle could well be prophetic - "it's the greatest comeback since Lazarus". After years on the sidelines, this could well be Anthony Genn's time.
share with:
