Los Skauters: "Drinking Shirt"

By Jonti Davies

los skauters: "drinking shirt" (download mp3 here)

If a snatch of hubbub heard at the beginning of "Drinking Shirt" is to be believed, Los Skauters are eight Stella Artois-glugging ska-men with a fancy for pork scratchings and kebabs. And who's going to argue with that? While it's difficult to ascertain whether this song was recorded direct from the soundboard at a bar somewhere (unlikely, perhaps, given the crystal-clear sound quality) or in a "live" setting that was cleverly constructed in the studio (or live, but with studio overdubs), the end results are the same: four minutes of a blistering two-tone/"new-tone" rhythm, punctuated by the blasts of a supercharged horn section, tidy descending organ lines and funny spoken-word skits, and all tied together with the brilliantly down-to-earth tale of a treasured shirt that has gone astray. The sheer relish with which the line "If I'm going to 'ave fun! Fun! FUN, FUN, FUN!" is bellowed out tells you everything you need to know about Los Skauters: these chaps are in music for good times, and they really want you to dance. Defiant, feelgood music (but, impressively, not in the cheesy sense of the term) is always to be commended, and this Osaka-based collective deserve all the praise coming their way. 
   
I'm also inclined to say "Kudos to Los Skauters!" for their impractical-but-endearing act of releasing a single on 7" vinyl earlier this year. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," Skauters frontman Daniel Mullins tells me - but it turns out that even with distribution via Jet Set Records and other specialist outlets around Japan, the band are still sitting on a stash of unsold sevens. Having heard the glorious A-side of that 45, "Skauters Want You!", which is every bit the chirpy equal of "Drinking Shirt", I suggest that all Japanzine-reading vinyl junkies (yes, both of you) get on the blower (or more specifically, visit the band's website) and put up ¥1,000 for your very own piece of Los Skauters history. And who knows, with the rate at which these guys are progressing and the reputation they've gained for their riotously fun live sets, buying in now could prove to be a very shrewd investment. Long live Los Skauters!   

losskauters.com | myspace.com/losskauters

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