PRESTON PFANZ and The Seaton Sands – Return to Burnt Island – review

PRESTON PFANZ and The Seaton Sands – Return to Burnt Island – review
Spinout Nuggets

It’s an instrumental album, so it is. Which means I was unlikely to find out which Brattisanis they were referring to. They’re probably posher than me so I reckon they’re ruminating on the Newington one. But the Tollcross one was better. Eh? You don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, one of the tracks here is called ‘Last Night At Brattisanis’. Which made me wonder. It’s a locals thing.

I do like the puntastic band members names. Well, I am fae Embra, currently living in East Lothian and my deid Da was fae Polbeth (Wes T Calder, adjacent). As for Preston Pfanz, I had a bacon & tattie scone doubler, down by the old salt pans, Tuesday past. Small world. Regarding Burnt Island. Great chippy, great funfair. And no, I’m not telling you which chippy.

Anyway, turns out this is instrumental surf rock. You know, the kind of thing that was big in California about six decades ago. Dick Dale, the Chantays, Surfaris. That sort of thing. Although, I suspect that anyone under the age of 50 reading this, will be thinking I’ve had some kind of stroke.

They’ll deny it to your face but Mr Pfanz and his Sands are, apparently, weel kent faces from other bands. Bands like The Thanes, The New Piccadillys, The Paper Sparrows and The Baron Nonesutch Band. Confession time. I’ve sort of seen The Thanes. I say, sort of, because I’m old enough to have seen The Green Telescope who metamorphosised into The Thanes. I want to say the Bongo Club. The original one. In the old bus garage. But the 80s, drugs and I were close companions.

Anyway, if it should transpire that Preston Pfanz is actually Lenny Helsing, then well done, sir. Because this was highly enjoyable. As befits a record of surf instrumentals, they rattle through 15 tunes in a shade over half an hour, which as it should be. It’s largely original material with a couple of nods to Bert Weedon and the Krew Kats, but you’d assume this was yer actual, vintage music. It’s their debut album, a mere decade plus after their debut single so, at that rate, expect a sequel sometime after I’m dead. I look forward to it.

They’re on the Faceboak.