
Pressing “play” on the first solo track from Kingsley Chapman from the much missed Chapman Family is, initially, a surprise. But a pleasant one. Far from the guitar driven rage of his former group, Olympians delivers a Teeside Tango that would work as well for Bryan Ferry. A grandiose woodwind and piano piece topped with Kingsley’s rich croon thankfully with accent intact, it’s good to know the years of wrapping a mic lead round his neck on stage (and smoking like a trooper) haven’t damaged his pipes. He’s been listening to Morrissey and this has similarities (quite apart from the title) with fellow Moz fans Gene in feel, mixed with the 20s admiring Art Rock of Deaf School. By the end of The Chapman Family a gothic rather than Goth feel was seeping in and this – while a shock at first – seems like a logical conclusion. With a puff of smoke Kingsley is back in the room and back in the game, with more tracks on the way.