Local Band ‘Pirate Party Brigade’ Set Sail to Plunder the Christmas Charts The local Jersey rock band who go by the naughtily nautical name of ‘Pirate Party Brigade’ have press-ganged themselves quite a fan base over the last year. During their regular gigs in Jersey, the energy ‘The Pirates’ kick out has gotten even the scurviest, wooden legged varmints up and dancing. Now they’ve set sail - this time quite literally - and hidden themselves in deepest darkest Wales, where they have recruited one of the UK’s top producer and studio combinations. But not before recording what they hope will become a Christmas chart topper! The five-piece band, consisting of Tom Drysdale on lead guitar, Matt Powell on rhythm guitar, Philipe Jackson on bass guitar, Chris Colin on drums and the inimitable Adam ‘Monty’ Montgomery on vocal duties, got together last year. They are simply a bunch of lads who love playing music, love having fun and want to share it all with anyone who feels like partying. Don’t let this fool you into thinking that this makes them anything less than a polished band though, as every member is a skilled musician, and at least two of them are time-served veterans of the Jersey live music scene, with plenty of gigging experience.
style one Saturday morning. Ryan challenged them, perhaps inadvertently, to achieve a Christmas number one! He may have been joking, but Monty, the band’s front-man, really does like a challenge! The band locked themselves in with Jersey producer Sam Falle - himself no stranger to the race for Christmas no.1 (he has a very impressive client list!) - and, in record time, recorded a Christmas song! They say the song combines a medley of melodies inspired by none other than Sir Cliff Richard himself, Slade and Wizard... intrigued? Well you should be! In a very non Piratical move, the band have pledged 80% of download sale profits to the charity Marie Curie Cancer Care. The hope is that by attempting to sell as many downloads as they can, they raise a substantial amount for the charity that will in turn help sufferers.
So “what’s made them take on the X-Factor and all the other festive releases?”, you ask.
In the band’s own words; “We have been working on this track for several weeks, and although we are not the typical Christmassy band we all enjoyed working on the Mistletoe song. This is the first time we have released anything for charity, and hopefully the public will help support the worthy cause that is Marie Curie Cancer Care. We chose Marie Curie, because there are thousands of cancer sufferers that benefit from their care, which costs upwards of £83 Million per year to administer. So, wether we sell 5 copies or 5 million, every penny will help.”
It all began when the band appeared on DJ Ryan Morrison’s excellent ‘Introducing’ show on BBC Radio Jersey. Ryan gives plenty of exposure to Jersey’s musicians, and the PPB boys rocked up and rocked his show acoustic
You can download the single at www. piratepartybrigade.com or from iTunes, by searching the band’s name. Good luck guys, and may you raise plenty of money for Marie Curie Cancer Care!
The boys deliver a great show, pull a great crowd and never fail to entertain... and they do it all without seeming to take themselves too seriously.
Words by Rick Jones || Feature Design by Tiffany Shales