Tonight’s headliners Drunk Detectives are somewhat of a local supergroup that features Mark Carter who can usually be found fronting Johnny Cash tribute Cash Converted (or on a train), Paul Tucker (The Mother Ukers, Moonbeams, Fox and the Owl… amongst various others , Mark Arnold (Loose Chippings, Dumb Poets, The Bowie Experience, The Rheumatics and a few others) along with a fine drummer Tony Butcher that has been tempted out of retirement. Hangoverhill’s Matt Black is also sporadically called upon to add his keyboard skills to proceedings. The band name is a nod towards 1970’s TV series The Sweeney and this is displayed with their Regan & Carter backdrop.

Like Interesting Wallpaper the band sound comes from a plethora of influences and the quartet sounds quite unique with their pooled musical ideas set around Mark Carters song writing. They sound like have been locked in a rehearsal room, fed a steady diet of alternative rock, punk and indie and then told to go outside and cause a little trouble.

There is something gloriously unpolished about Drunk Detectives, and I mean that in the very best possible way. They have an infectious energy that simply refuses to sit still, combining chunky, slightly ragged guitars, driving rhythms and hooks that somehow burrow their way into your head and refuse to leave. With ‘Midlife Crisis’, complete with its delicious country twang, and the wonderfully Dylanesque ‘Loaded Dice’, they demonstrate that beneath the apparent chaos there is some seriously fine song writing. But their pièce de résistance has to be ‘A Week Next Tuesday’, the wonderfully bizarre tale of a chap doing life in prison who remains convinced that his release is just around the corner. It is storytelling with a distinctly Drunk Detectives twist — funny, slightly surreal and completely infectious.

Then there is ‘Thai Bride’, an early highlight that delves into the seedier side of life, driven along by infectious guitar licks, a relentless rhythm and a cracking guitar solo. There is a deliciously chaotic edge to everything they do, with the band clearly having an absolute ball and feeding off the atmosphere in the room.

They don’t appear particularly interested in playing it safe or following some well-worn musical formula. Instead, they throw their influences into the musical blender, give it a very good shake and somehow emerge with something that sounds unmistakably like Drunk Detectives.

After a fine set, the audience aren’t prepared to let them leave just yet and they are called back for an encore. And what better way to finish than with a reprise of ‘Thai Bride’.

In The Beginning

In 2021 Mark Carter and his old Spoons band partner Lance Riley (of Dumb Poets) did a charity duo gig together at The Firkin Shed. Lance told Mark that he had some good songs and that he should think about putting a band together doing originals. Mark seemed unsure, so Lance said if he wasn’t going to do it, then he would and it could be a side project for them both. A short while later, Lance arrived at Mark’s house with guitarist Andy Steiner whom he’d met in The Firkin Shed and the three of them started working up songs together. 
After a few months Lance left and Mark and Andy decided to form a group and added bassist Mike Cotton and drummer György Orliczki. The band now named ‘Gravy Train’ starting rehearsing regularly and debuted  their set at a small festival in Swanage before playing a couple of gigs at The Firkin Shed playing a mix of mostly originals and a few covers. 
Mike Cotton left shortly after these gigs, followed by György. Mark and Andy decided to soldier on and drummer Fred Beale was recruited along with a new bass player, who was quickly replaced by Paul Tucker (Mother Ukers) an old and dear friend of Mark’s. 
The band rehearsed again and did a gig at the Firkin Shed, followed by another at Chaplins Cellar Bar. 
Fred was replaced for one gig in Charminster by original drummer György before the band settled on drummer Dave Winn (Dumb Poets/Dr Beetroot). 
Dave left after a couple of rehearsals and the band advertised this time and found Drummer Tony Butcher. Tony was the missing piece in the rhythm section (like when the Clash recruited Topper Headen after trying over 100 drummers!) and It was something of a relief as the band had been getting through more drummers than Spinal Tap! 
The band changed their name now to Drunk Detectives, having realised that there had been and were other bands with the same name. 
Mark was writing some great new songs and Andy had one too. The rhythm section was finally working and the band gigged at Chaplins Cellar Bar a few more times, before Andy Steiner was replaced by Mark Arnold on lead guitar(Bowie Experience, Loose Chippings and various others) after a gig at Boldre Club in the New Forest. 
The band rehearsed and started to sound like the finished article. The band played at The Green Party takeover of Chaplins before playing there again and then going into Hangover Hill studios to record their debut album ‘ Missing Cases’ produced and engineered by Matt Black, who added some delicious piano and keyboard florishes on a few of the tracks. The band really gelled with Matt and he played with them when they performed at The Lighthouse in Poole in what was to be the last ever  ‘Introducing’ new bands night. The band were supported by Interesting Wallpaper from Southampton ( who will be supporting them again in January at Chaplins Cellar Bar) and Chandra from Bristol. 
Drunk Detectives CD launch will be at The Underground, Boscombe on Sunday 13th Dec plus 2 yet to be announced support acts.