Press release -
DERV GORDON: Former Leader of Legends The Equals Prepares European Tour
After a string of recent successful USA dates (including an epic appearance at GONER FEST) DERV GORDON, the immortal voice of the one and only THE EQUALS is ready to storm Europe! Backed by Oakland based stomp/glam band SO WHAT.
Derv Gordon will tour Europe next month. The first confirmed show will take place at FUNTASTIC DRACULA FESTIVAL in Benidorm, Spain, on 2 November along with a special appearance at the Dirty Water Club on the 7th at Nambucca.
The Equals were unstoppable for the best part—truly the best part!—of two decades, breaking out in 1966 with their classic “Baby Come Back” and zig-zagging through hit after cult hit until the end of the 1970s. In between, they took soul, r&b, rock, glam, proto-punk, disco and funk and transformed them into their own unequaled sound, bristling with hooks and driven by an absolutely relentless beat.
They were a step ahead in everything, from the music they played to the way they dressed to who they were—uniquely a mixed-race band and a majority-immigrant band, too—and while founding member Eddy “Electric Avenue” Grant would find solo fame in the 80s, the Equals’ reputation among musicians and music fans grows stronger each generation. Plenty of other bands covered the Clash, but the Clash covered the Equals .
Very few bands can claim to be equally revered by lovers of psych, mod, ska, punk, funk, R&B, disco, glam, and bubblegum pop, and had a racially integrated lineup in the turbulent 60s—and had hits. The Equals were such a band. Formed in a council flat in the UK in 1965, the Equals featured Grant, twin brothers Derv and Lincoln Gordon, and Caucasian musicians John Hall and Pat Lloyd. Their 1968 breakout single, “Baby Come Back,” with its pop-ska rhythm, reached number one in Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK—and an impressive #32 on the U.S. charts (it was later covered by Bonnie Raitt in 1982).
More hits followed, including the pure pop “I Get So Excited,” the blistering proto-funk “Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys” and “Stand Up and Be Counted,” and the poppy “Michael and the Slipper Tree.” The sleek 1976 disco single “Funky Like a Train” has been reissued multiple times.
Four years ago, SF native and megafan Jason Duncan (So What) took on the task of writing a book on the Equals, and when he tracked down Derv Gordon in London for an interview, he mentioned his band So What would be honored to back him for a special one-off show. That gig happened in May of this 2017, and in 2018 So What will join Gordon for a full European tour.
If you’ve never delved into the world of Derv Gordon and The Equals, you now have a golden opportunity to witness a living legend - NOT TO BE MISSED!
LA BEAT BESPOKE AND DIRTY WATER CLUB PRESENT: DERV GORDON AND SO WHAT - WEDS 7 NOVEMBER AT NAMBUCCA - ADVANCE TICKETS HERE
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- dirty water club
The Dirty Water Club started in October 1996 in the Tufnell Park neighbourhood of north London, at a venue called The Boston. The club's name is derived from The Standells' 1966 hit 'Dirty Water' which glorifies the US city of Boston, Massachusetts.
Past performers have included The White Stripes (voted by Q Magazine as one of the top 10 gigs of all time, Mojo one of the top 30 and Kerrang one of the top 100!), The Gories, Country Teasers, Black Lips, NOBUNNY, Kid Congo Powers, The Fleshtones, Billy Childish, Radio Birdman, The Dirtbombs, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, The 5.6.7.8's, The Horrors and The Brian Jonestown Massacre to name just a few. The club has also seen some original '60s performers, such as The Monks, ? and the Mysterians, Kim Fowley, Sky Saxon, GONN, Michael Davis of the MC5 and more grace its stage.
Their in-house record label, Dirty Water Records, is one of the leading garage/beat/(real) R&B labels in the world.
