So it all happened on a Saturday Night…. For those of you familiar with Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, at such times, this melting pot of revelry, and excitement can all too easily boil over and one is left wondering what has become of the Human Race.

A fine example of community spirit however was coming together upstairs in Couture; the sole purpose being raising money to bring a boy called George back from Thailand. (He’s been injured in a motorcycle accident and his friends can now share his mother’s delight at knowing he will be home for Christmas)

It was all thanks to the Ping Pong Banana Show; they are going to save us all. No I have not been harvesting seasonal mushrooms, but it would be a shame not to bring news of such exotic, and topical home grown superstars to the Northern Line’s eyes and ears.

It would seem logical to suggest these guys have been raised on a diet of hardcore, The Beatles, Madchester, and soul, (apart from indie rock n roll man’ I must have left out a lot of other ingredients) as their fashion sense is clearly streets ahead of your average scouser, weegie , raver or hipster. With a look so sharp and with a pride not seen since the likes of the Teddy Boys, we bring you Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5.

This finely selected and honed bunch of reprobates hand picked and trained by the legendary Colonel Mustard himself, beggars belief, and firmly re-establishes another truly great musical force, their rise to fame shrouded in mystery and tales of archery, jousting and evolutionary dilemas. Their ‘Commitment’ like stage presence was witnessed last night by an intimate crowd of lucky ladies and gentlemen.

Should I even be relaying tales of these musical curiosities to a wider audience? Are they surely not one of the best-kept secrets from the murky depths of Glasgow’s cross-pollinating music scene? Can we not keep our cheeky smiles to ourselves about this lot? No! They will bring happiness to the streets and alleyways of northern Britain. It is a public duty to inform you all of Colonel Mustard’s advice. Take heed and listen to the music.

Seriously intrigued, well… I was… So I headed down to see them and do my bit for George to get home! You have to hand it to them, with songs about Harold Shipman, (as an ice skater rather than a serial killer he still was not very nice!) the choruses promise chart success, and with songs like GAY ICON and International Sex Hero, the Scissor Sisters have good reason to fear this lot.

Influences are really too complex to mention and it is clear that many bands would struggle to produce this blend of genres, craft-fully taking in everything from Sheep on Drugs to Gomez… As the set ended with the heart felt love song ‘It always Ends in Tears with a Ginger Girl’ members of the audience took to the stage and one was left to walk away into the night with a drink in hand and warmth in the soul. Let em into your heart … Keep it Ping Pong!

More importantly this post was meant to be a taster or should I say teaser, as the levels of pure genius here will rock your winter socks off. I would advise listening on myspace to find out more.

Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 Myspace
Toms Flickr

By Tom Manley on November 14, 2010