scene, only gratitude for the exposure the
success of her records and shows gave him,
and a feeling that “anyone with the amount
of talent Imelda has shouldn’t be standing
still in one genre, they’ve got to go out and
explore different things.”
Hell’s Hotel was Darrel’s own effort at
exploration. Reflecting back, he says he was
trying to make roots rock’n’roll palatable to
a broader audience. “To that end, it didn’t do
too bad because it’s definitely been one of
my best-selling albums. It’s still selling now.
I was partly influenced by people like Dave
Edmunds, Nick Lowe and Steve Gibbons
in the early 80s, when they were taking 50s
rock and doing something different with
it. So it wasn’t aimed at the dancers or the
rock’n’roll scene, more those that just like
songs and simply want to sit and listen.”Bop Machine is a return to making the
sort of music for the audiences The
Enforcers normally play to live. It’s one
for the jivers, whereas none of the songs
on Hell’s Hotel or One For The Road ever
feature on their setlists.THE TITLE TRACK is as much fun as
the jokey album cover, featuring miniature
figures of the trio playing on a vintageChurchill Machine Company contraption,
promises it will be. Throughout his
songwriting career, Higham has had a
quirky way with a lyric, and the line, “I’m
gonna shout, gonna scream till my ears
spout steam, just strap me to the bop
machine” is a classic example. The secret
lies in the delivery as much as anything.
It might not be what some folk would call
Grammy award-winning deep, but it hits the
rockabilly nerve every time.
Lyrically speaking, The Brain Freeze, with
its references to going weak at the knees,
and shaking like the leaves, sounds like
a trip into Johnny Kidd territory, but the
Willesden great doesn’t seem to be an artist
on the Higham radar. In fact, he says the
inspiration came from the behaviour of
his daughter. “I’ll take her out for a pizza“THE THING THAT’S
HURT US MOST
IS HOW PEOPLE
BUY THEIR
MUSIC NOW”In his time as a musician
Higham has performed and
composed with musicians such
as Jeff Beck, Shakin’ Stevens
and Chrissie HyndeDave^ Savag
eDarrel Higham