The world of music journalism is currently dominated by chatter of the ‘promised land of AI’ and it’s really quite simple to produce an article about a band. AI generators grab the details of your entered keywords from millions of sources and compile something very quickly indeed! Frightening – so why bother going through all the research, listening to downloaded albums and spend hours thinking what you want to say in a review? I like to respond with “to avoid the clinical, to add soul and to try and give real credit where it’s due – the musician”.
Step forward Warrington band ‘Winachi’. Now dear reader, honesty is a word sadly lacking nowadays but I’m owning up to the fact that I have never seen their (reported) excellent live shows, so like yourself, I am limited to listening on one of the many media platforms. It also seems that trend will continue as I’m not available on the date of their upcoming show/vinyl album launch at Eden in Warrington at 9pm on the 28th September either which is very disappointing.
So who are Winachi? A quick search on the web with a cup of coffee and fast fingers will reveal loads of information about them since their formation in 2015. The band has supported, and been linked with some prestigious musical names both here and ‘over the pond’ in L.A , and a further dip into YouTube will take you down the rabbit hole of surprises!
Consisting of Liam Croker (vocals/lyrics), Antony Egerton (keys & programming), Andy McKay (guitar), Richard Ritchie (bass), Paul Lawrence (drums) and Inder Goldfinger (tabla & percussion – formerly with Ian Brown), the electro – funk band have an impressive back catalogue of work. Their own Bandcamp site (winachi.bandcamp.com) displays the Digital Discography of 10 releases in total with a mix of Single Tracks, EP’s and their 2023 album ‘Sympathy for the Future’, so in the interests of brevity let’s focus on the reason for this article – namely the Vinyl Album launch of the latter.
A fellow journalist stated “How best to describe the musical genre of Winachi ?” and they are generally referred to as electro-funk. Perhaps that’s too bland a label and the reader will find echoes of the mid 70’s funky bass lines of Brothers Johnson and Johnny Guitar Watson. There’s also a nod to the modern day riffs of Nile Rogers, the arrangements of Daft Punk and JK foot tapping rhythms – the kind that give you a feel good vibe on entering a nightclub!! Blend all of this with a very clever mix of electronic effects / keys and percussion, the likes of which I haven’t heard since Talk Talk’s album – ‘ The Colour of Spring ‘ , and there you have it – Winachi in a nutshell.
The 9 track album opens with The Arrival and is definitely one for headphones, absorb yourself in sounds of the tropical rainforest and very nice percussion at 40 secs (a man after my own heart!) followed by a fanfare of brass, keyboards and the Isaac Hayes-like funk of Shaft. I guarantee you will play it again before you embark on the remainder of the musical journey. Heaven in Hell.A at track 2 propels you along with a snappy – rap/dance beat and has an amusing Thriller – esque 6 minute video on YouTube before the more recognisable funk sound of today with Understanding at track 3 and For You I’d Kill at track 4 kick in. The final track of Toe Dippin’ on Side A slows the band down and showcases the nice harmonies and sweet, soulful lead vocals of Liam Croker. If you were a ‘last dance of the night’ chancer then this short track might bring back some memories for you!
Side B, which is a bit quieter begins with Smoulder, another traditionally sounding light-funk number with the drums being recorded high in the mix, whilst a solid backbeat and snare roll adds drive to a mid tempo number. Funk but Chic at track 2 is a cover which is (in my opinion) more Disco and will definitely appeal to the handbag circles on a Saturday night. If Disco was the intention then Winachi’s version captures the era very well and justifies its release as a single back in 2020.
Title track of the album Sympathy for the Future slows the party down a little and a reliable source tells me the backing vocals, which are dovetailed very nicely with Liam’s vocals, are by Rowetta of The Happy Mondays – it’s an excellent song with some wonderful tabla from Inder throughout . Give it a listen and don’t overlook the mellow instrumental version of this on Spotify, Wah-Wah at it’s best!. The closing track of Room with a View was a pleasant surprise and is very different . It’s played in the Minor key by Anthony Egerton with accompanying Cello, so dark and gloomy is the order of the day . Musically, the purists will find this song very interesting, however with a few expletives in there make sure the kids aren’t listening !
Overall , I enjoyed the album and Winachi have clearly worked very hard to take us down the avenue of electro – funk with a twist of their own and I have no doubt the band were on their way to higher ground before Covid sadly kicked in and set all musicians back years. Finally, being a fan of Art I must acknowledge the superb graphics on the album covers, check them out on Winachi’s bandcamp site before popping along to Eden to see the band live, you won’t be disappointed.
