"Keep It On" (The Isrites & Big Kids Sessions 1995-2000)

Following the dissolution of his first group The Stairs and before he launched a productive solo career in the early 2000s, Edgar Jones/Summertyme attempted to relaunch himself as leader of two other bands. His first, The Isrites, had their members hijacked by Lee Mavers for a late incarnation of The La’s while his second, Big Kids, split to form the basis of The Zutons and The Stands. As such neither group managed to record an album, but as these collected sessions released by Viper in 2013 showed, the potential there was manifest. Roughly speaking, The Isrites delivered sharp, punchy, stripped back garage pop (listen to “I Don’t Want To See You Go” and it’s no wonder Mavers became envious), while The Big Kids were somewhat looser, more soulful and operated with a heavy whiff of late 60s psych rock, Jones/Summertyme growling like a Merseyside Captain Beefheart.