Posted on January 20, 2009 - by Megan

The Sound of Mature Huddersfield: The Scaremongers

Yorkshire is the epitome of good music. Bands such as The Beautiful South, Kaiser Chiefs, Human League and the Arctic Monkeys all are Yorkshire natives, and proper Northerners. Being a proud ‘northern lass’ myself, I love finding new talent from my area, so that I can have yet another reason to love the place I live. So, when my friend and I discovered the Scaremongers, an Indie/post-punk band from Huddersfield, I was quick to check them out. This interest was boosted by the fact that Simon Armitage was a band member; as far as I was concerned, nothing could go wrong.

Any band with Simon Armitage in it is bound to have fantastic lyrics, given that the award winning poet/novelist/playwright has our renowned dry Yorkshire wit and a keen eye for detail. Being an avid fan of his written work, I was intrigued by his band, The Scaremongers, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the amusing songs, his Smith-esque singing voice, and ‘Speedy’ Sue Roberts’ (Simon’s wife) refreshing female vocals that gives them that extra ‘oomph’.

The Scaremongers was a name picked from a shortlist that was selected from about 280 names. They have the belief that the name is everything, and I personally think they did a good job of it (and it is a far better name than ‘the Wheelybins’, however amusing it might have been for any of the fans, read more here).

The song ‘Nodding Dog’ is my particular favourite, with its witty colloquialisms, and the random bit of talking at the end that never fails to make me laugh. However, I feel like I’m giving far too much credit to Simon Armitage, who only writes lyrics and sings. His friend, and co-creator of the Scaremongers, Craig Smith, is the actual brain behind the music, the website, and the business management, and was the one who convinced Armitage to refresh his dreams of being a Rock ‘n’ Roll star.

I say, “OK, let’s do it.” And by the time I put down the phone I am the singer-songwriter of a two-man band, one being a perfectly respectable web manager who wears glasses to read, the other being a 44-year-old poet and father.

The songs are the sort you can sing along to while you’re busying around the house, or getting ready to go out – they’re pretty much all upbeat, fun songs that put a smile on your face. They take you back to Eighties’ English Rock, recreating something old instead of starting something new, and reviving a music style that was all but lost in the wake of the Nineties (a horrific decade for music).

They are the self claimed “Sound of Mature Huddersfield” and I think that actually describes them perfectly. They’re like an older version of Arctic Monkey’s, without the aggression of Alex Turner’s vocals, but with that brilliant Yorkshire accent that makes them just that much better in my books. It’s just another band that proves that the North creates brilliant music, and I love them.

The Scaremongers – “If you ever leave me”

Useful Links:
The Scaremongers Offical Site
Their Myspace Page

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