High Times & Misdemeanours marks the second coming of Richard Davies & The Dissidents. A new album from the West Country band arrives four years on from their widely-praised debut set Human Traffic, bringing a fresh cluster of anthemic, emotive, and street-savvy doses of blue-collar rock’n’roll in the spirit of the Heartbreakers and The Pretenders. With a first single ‘Lead Me Out Of The Wilderness’ already available, the album is released today on Gare du Nord Records.
After three decades as collaborator, gun for hire, and band member – most notably with London bands The Snakes and Tiny Monroe – the utterly reliable, sometimes spectacular, lead guitarist stepped centre-stage front and embarked on his solo adventure with Human Traffic. This first album as featured artist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter, went down a storm, even finding itself included – alongside the Stones, Deep Purple and Idles – in the Spanish national daily El Pais’s Is rock dead? 18 recent albums prove it isn’t listing. Unfortunately, world events initially restricted the Dissidents, among whom numbered Tim Emery (Case Hardin, Last Great Dreamers) on bass guitar and Chris Cannon (Mega City Four, The Snakes) on drums to a handful of live appearances.
Both are present here too along with long-time Snakes collaborator and engineer Nick Beere on guitar, and Neil Scully – on keyboards and already a live Dissident – was involved from the start this time; Caroline Blake sings backing vocals on a couple of songs. Notably too Richard recruited his Snakes bandmate Simon Moor to produce:
‘I asked Simon Moor as I really liked his production work with Tommy Hale, and we share many of the same musical reference points. We’d recorded few songs before Simon got involved but they all got re-worked. He made things sound tougher and leaner; and made a bunch of disparate songs sound like a cohesive album. I also know from The Snakes days that he has an amazing knowledge of music and a great feel for how my songs should sound”.
The album’s ten songs are predominantly about real life either experienced or observed: “We did our best to make the songs as relatable as possible though this is probably a darker album than Human Traffic. I like to talk about everyday realities and events as I see them but the lyrics do contain some optimism as well as critique”.
‘Lead Me Out Of The Wilderness’ – already making waves – shows High Times & Misdemeanours taking up where Human Traffic left off. With Richard’s sneery vocals, accompanied by trademark tight-but-loose riffs, and Neil’s piano snaking around this loose-limbed roil of a tune. A prime cut of the Dissidents’ patent ‘Countrydelic Rock’n’Roll’; it turns out to be inspired by ‘Amazing Grace’.
Another immediate standout is ‘Keep Your Fires Burning’ which sounds something like a lost Infidels out-take with loads of harmonica and a bit of a wild ride: “It’s about those people we all know who can’t help getting into trouble – I’m saying I know you messed up but I’m not going to judge you – things will get better!”.
‘Soldier Of Fortune’ is relentless, and Chris drives it along with an insistent almost-military beat; “He started as a character before I realised there’s a bit of him in all of us!”. Meanwhile ‘Born To Drown’ has a big beginning and imperious instrumentation throughout; “Its about vulnerability and the struggle to avoid the dreariest things in life. The characters in the song are fictitious, although Alice – who works in a shop – is loosely based on someone I used to know”. Tim Emery adds mandolin. Nick Beere takes the solos on both of these, while Richard’s on a Gretsch 12 string.
‘Age Of The Blade’ is savage and angry – the “age of the one percent, age of attrition” – “It’s about our times – the paranoia – and how dreadful people can be on social media”. In contrast ‘Suburbia’ is the dream of escape and while it carries an aura of languid sleaze particularity in the vocal “it’s a love song to a fantasy about wanting a normal life rather than the life of a musician living in London who’s behind on the rent!”
Scattered through the sequence are three covers, part reinterpretation and part homage. ‘Lover Of The Bayou’ starts with a drone and carries more menace than The Byrds’ original; the “zombies on your tail” perhaps emphasised: “I first heard this song in the 90’s when I shared a flat with an A&R guy from Electra who was a Byrds completist. I always wanted to record it; now seemed like the right time, and I wanted the music to be dark to really reflect Jacques Levy‘s lyric.”
‘Human’ is a Divinyls’ songs learned from The Pretenders; “I heard The Pretenders version and just really wanted to record it. I liked its take on vulnerability! It gives the listener a peek behind the showbiz curtains!”. ‘Live For Today’ comes from Lords Of New Church’s revisiting rather than Grass Roots original. “A fabulous song that I felt would suit the band; I enjoyed re-living my punk/goth/glam/whatever early days as a music fan. Hopefully we’ve given it a new lease of life!”.
‘Higher Station’, the penultimate song, is inspired by thoughts about loss and reconnection, and was originally considered for Human Traffic. If the initial thought behind it was that in some way we all live on after our demise, there’s now also a real sense of a rebirth to a more elevated state. Something High Times & Misdemeanours demonstrates Richard Davies & The Dissents have the chops, the savvy, and the tunes to achieve in 2025.
Richard Davies: Personal Biography:
Richard began his career playing guitar for indie band Tiny Monroe in the 90s, recording several singles, an EP and an album for London Records, touring with Radiohead and Suede and appearing at the Glastonbury, Reading and T in the Park festivals along the way. He then recorded three albums with The Snakes – Songs From The Satellites, Sometime Soon and The Last Days of Rock‘n’Roll – as the band became major players on the UK Americana scene, picking up mainstream national airplay from the likes of Bob Harris and Mark Lamarr. Songs From The Satellites received its first ever digital release on Friday 15th Nov 2024 (also on Gare du Nord).
A gifted guitarist, Richard is also an integral component of Marc Valentine’s live and recording ensembles, having previously performed with Peter Perrett and Glen Matlock.
High Times & Misdemeanours is released on Gare du Nord Records on 14 February 2025. It’s on all the usual streaming services, and the CD can be purchased from Richard’s Bandcamp page.
Bucketfull Of Brains 