Playlist: Funeral Shakes go all square eyed

With Funeral Shakes releasing their new album on 16^th February, we asked Calvin and Simon from the band to collate a playlist for us, over to them:

 

The good folks at Alt Dialogue asked us to provide you with a playlist. We thought about it for a while, then became distracted by the background noise of the TV. Then it hit us! Here’s our Top Ten TV Themes:

 

Antiques Roadshow

 

Calvin: Ok, it’s not a TV show that I’ve ever really sat and watched, but the theme tune is pretty special. It’s one that always gets stuck in my head too. I could imagine Alan Partridge in his travel tavern whistling it.

 

Twin Peaks

 

Simon: I feel like this tune is almost as iconic as the show itself. Equal parts soothing and eerie. This tune was a perfect fit for the surreal, dreamy, and at times ridiculous Twin Peaks.

 

Only Fools and Horses

 

Calvin: This is British TV institution, and the theme song is a banger. Both the opening song and the end credits had cool music, and I even remember Gallows using it as intro music waaaaaaaay back when we first met Lee.

 

The Munsters

 

Simon: The Munsters were a spooky family of oddballs, with a penchant for the macabre. Sound familiar? That’s because the show was made as an attempt to rival The Addams Family, by another network. The general consensus is that it was nowhere near as good, and I think many would say that’s true of the theme tune too, but not me. I can’t get enough of that spooky surf guitar!

 

Eastenders

 

Calvin: When Simon and I were demoing the first set of songs for the album, our demoing would always stop upon hearing THAT drum intro. It may not be cool to admit, but who cares about being cool anyway… I love Eastenders. Simon and his girlfriend Louise even got me an Eastenders birthday card this year depicting myself and Simon as the Mitchell brothers.

 

Dallas

 

Pompous, grandiose, and pretty much the most American sounding thing ever. This tune set the scene perfectly for a show about Texan oil tycoons. Unsurprisingly, this subject matter didn’t appeal to me as a child, so I never really watched it, but I always loved this tune.

 

 

The Sopranos

 

Calvin: The first of the big TV series’ that I ever saw, and I think I was hooked from the intro music onwards. Alabama 3 did the music I think, and it’s spot on for the show. Simon hates this one. Sorry Si.

 

Minder

 

Simon: This was my Dad’s favourite show when I was growing up, so this song got a lot of airplay in our house. Minder star Dennis Waterman actually sang the theme tune, which is where the Little Britain “write the theme tune, sing the theme tune” sketch comes from (however Waterman wasn’t actually involved in the writing). Boring trivia aside, it’s an absolute BELTER.

 

The A Team

 

Calvin: In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to military prison for a crime they didn’t commit…. aaaaand I’m hooked. And then there’s that blaster riff. THEN there’s the middle eight, the “der der der da-duh, da-duh, der duh duh” part which may just be the coolest riff in TV history. And the show was pretty iconic too.

 

Red Dwarf

 

Simon: To be honest, I never liked the show. Couldn’t get into it, didn’t find it funny. But it was worth tuning in just for the theme tune! You get treated to the guitar solo instrumental version in the opening credits, and the full version with vocals at the end. Insanely catchy, this still gets stuck in my head for days at a time. Definitely not the best TV show ever. Maybe the best theme tune ever.

 

We hope you liked our choices. If there’s any we missed, or you really hate our picks, please feel free to come and tell us at one of our gigs. Not during the gig, that might be weird, but afterwards or something. Or you can tweet us, that would work too.

 

We have some shows coming up and our debut album comes out on February 16th through Silent Cult Records.

 

Jan – 2018

20th  Bedford, Esquires – Cancer Research UK fundraiser

W/ Gold Key, Hero Dies First, and VNDTA

 

Feb – 2018

14th London, Old Blue Last – W/LIRR

15th Watford,  LP Cafe – Instore/Album Release Show

23rd Huddersfield Parish – W/ Mr. Shiraz

24th Stafford, Red Rum – W/Sonic Boom Six

25th Northwich, Salty Dog