It’s quite a C.V. The man has played with Julian Cope, Nick Cave, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Drugstore, Barry Adamson, Spiritualized, Moonshake, Lush, Billy Bragg, Tindersticks (for whom he also arranged), Frank & Walters (and them), 18 Wheeler (them too) and of course Gallon Drunk. The former member of The Higsons and co-founder of Butterfield 8 (with ex-Madness bass player Mark Bedford) has certainly paid his dues. And so it is that TERRY EDWARDS (&THE SCAPEGOATS) found themselves on Wiiija Records.

The Scapegoats’ debut 7” release, ‘Harlem Nocturne’, for the label was a fascinating collage of their different styles, neatly showcasing the strength of their material in a striking stopgap between their last album (‘My Wife Doesn’t Understand Me’) and the album released on Wiiija, ‘I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today’. The LP features Terry’s stunning instrumental capabilities and highlights his unique perspective on recent pop history clashing with historical stylistic references from ol’ jazz ‘n’ blues ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll stuff. You want a runthrough A to Z of popular music - start with Terry Edwards and move on from there. From crowd pleaser ‘King Of The Cheap Thing’ to hot single ‘Boots Off!’ (the best way to frug nowadays as any fule no) through title of the year ‘I Like My Low-Life Low’ to classic ‘I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today’. Imagine Dexy’s Midnight Runners, James Blood Ulmer, The Clash and Black Sabbath playing at the same time with Duke Ellington and Lee Perry at the controls and you start to get the picture.

But then again, this playful nature should come as no surprise to anyone who ever heard his previous interpretations of tracks by diverse artists as The Jesus & Mary Chain, Miles Davis, The Fall, Blur and The Sex Pistols. And his unique skills as a multi instrumentalist and the fluency of The Scapegoats will no doubt show you quite clearly why TERRY EDWARDS & THE SCAPEGOATS should step from out of the shadow of those who they have worked with and into a smoky limelight all of their own.