Specky Cult are an acoustic-punk trio from the North-East of England, consisting of Rob Glover (guitar, backing vocals), Carol Stephen (vocals, guitar) and Rob Bradford (bass, keyboards). Having played in various bands for over 30 years, their focus is for Specky Cult to have fun and not take themselves too seriously. Ahead of the release of their second album, A Different Kind of Difficult, Rob G spoke to us to give the lowdown.
The origins of Specky Cult lies in two musicals written during lockdown. “The first was based on me as younger man; playing in London with The Stranglers and all those shenanigans, it was a punk musical…My Fair Lady meets Combat Rock”. The soundtrack for the musical became their first album.
The second musical was to be called Specky Cult Must Die. The musicals were never performed as it became impossibly expensive, but the legacy remains of narrative-driven songs from someone else’s perspective.
1. Comeback Kid: Whilst rehearsing the play we learned the 7-step structure of storytelling; one stage is redemption. We played on the idea that the lowest point is always where the hero has to begin their comeback, it’s usually the best bit of the story and perhaps there was comfort in that. We tried to encapsulate that into this song.
2. Love Crap: Its a jokey variation on the big Whitney Houston-style love song, we thought it’d be fun to write an anti-love song. The line about a friend who was an absolute superstar songwriter, but met “the one” and gave it all up to start the atomic family. It’s not meant to be judgmental, but you can’t help but feel like the world was missing out on something special, rather than just another love story.
3. Seriously: I’d been learning old Delta Blues tunes and was messing with a drop D tuning, then Carol worked her magic; she started singing away and coming up with the lyrics. It was finished pretty much then and there.
4. Alibi: This is more of a serious song about the lies we tell ourselves, false expectations and projections between people.
5. Everything is Awesome: This was trying to be the opposite of the news. It looks like everything is going to hell but there has to be some positivity out there. So we began to reel off silly positive stuff; surviving Titanic, not being eaten by Jaws, surviving little big horn. Writing songs has to amuse us, so the sillier the line the better.
6. Hell Before Breakfast: This is about having mixed feelings about someone and facing up to them, it’s a moment everyone has to go through. The knowledge that people can be great, they can be challenging, or they can be a massive dragon called Baz. The last bit might not be true.
7. Anthems and Tantrums: Anthems is about me and you and us. It’s how we can be wonderful people, capable of anything in one moment, and seconds later huffy tantrum-driven relics. We build our lego towers just high enough to kick over when it’s not quite right. Plus it’s a good rhyme.
8. Pull the Plug: This is about the internet, AI and how we’re handcuffed to computers now, especially young people. It’s us being grumpy old people – “go play out side ya young whipper snapper“.
9. Pie and Mash: Rob, the keyboard player, has an ornamental drinks carrier from a football club. An old wooden one with drink prices and things you can have at half-time. Carol set herself a challenge to write a song using the writing on the side of it. It ended up being about the mundane drudgery of life.
10. A Different Kind of Difficult: The wonderful Martin at Harbourmaster Studios commented that we weren’t difficult, so much as a different kind of difficult. We always intended to use that as the album title, and we were trying to work Specky Cult into a chorus. After a year, one of us finally realised that cult works with difficult, and voila!
The actual song is about flaunting your quirks and individuality. The “freaks unite” line meaning everyone has their own thing that someone wouldn’t understand, so we shouldn’t be so judgy of others. We still hope someone mishears the Specky Cult line on the radio…we would wear it as a badge of honour.
11. Big Shop: This comes from conversations at work where people were looking forward to Friday night and doing the big shop. We didn’t realise this was a thing. People get dressed up and go to these big hyper-stores like it’s a pleasurable pastime. Anyway I got dragged out on a Friday and did think it was a bit of fun so the song and the guilt started.
A Different Kind of Difficult is available to stream now. And you can find Specky Cult on social media using the links below.
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