‘The Bresslaws’ The Bresslaws are a band based in the Medway Towns in Kent - the former playground of Thee Milkshakes and the Prisoners, and more recently The Buff Medways and The Solarflares. The Bresslaws sound owes a lot to the heritage of the Medway Garage bands but they add their own unique style to the genre. What sort of music do we play? We are a bunch of Mods playing in a Garage band. I think that is the best way of summing it up,ä says lead vocalist Vic Bresslaw. ‘Or should I say a ‘Set' of Mods’ definitely not a ‘Gaggle' though he adds. ‘We are a five piece band playing the music that we love. We were brought up with the sounds of the Mod and Ska revival from 1979 onwards, and then the Medway Garage scene which took off in the early eighties and is in fact still going strong. The sixties are obviously a great influence on us, as with all Mods, and you can probably hear many influences within the sounds that we play.

1) I only asked
2) Backfist baby
3) Machine gun Bobby
4) People get ready
5) Bernie's boogaloo
6) Little Johnny Clay
7) In love
8) Lies
9) Won't you tell me
10) Captain Fantastic
11) Have love will travel
12) A no good woman
13) Don't walk away
14) Ranscombe Fayre

‘The Bresslaws ’ So who on earth these Blesslaws? On lead vocals is Vic, bashing away on the skins is Spud Gun, plucking the bass strings is Doctor. Backing vocals and guitar is Stretch and the man with the magic fingers on the keyboard is Lofty. The sound we hope has a raw live quality to it. We record our tracks, (with Jim Riley from Ranscombe studios at the controls) in two or three takes and we hope to get that down to one or two as we record the album on the occasional Saturdays once a month. ãWhy not record it in one go? Well, we have jobs, like the vast majority of people in bands, Saturday is a day that we are all available, when I haven't got to take a Wedding that is.ä After scratching away at the surface, we were surprised to find that Vic Bresslaw was in fact a real live Medway Vicar, the Rev'd. Andy Harding.
So who are these Bresslaws really? ‘There's me, Andy Harding (Vic Bresslaw) on Vocals; Gav Davies (Stretch Bresslaw) founding member on Guitar and a former John Lennon in Beatles tribute band Îthe Bootles'; Tony Bailey (Lofty Bresslaw) former bass player of Mod Revivalists ‘The Heads' and well known local musician; Si Phillpotts (Spud Gun Bresslaw) skinhead drummer and stalwart of the Bristol indie scene of the 80's with ‘The Artisans' and ‘Sweet Georgie Brown' and Paul Fox (Doctor Bresslaw) on Bass and a leading light in the Isle of Sheppey scooter scene and if you have any scooter mechanical problems and he's cheap!
Oh, and is your name anything to do with Bernard Bresslaw, the Carry On film legend?
ãYes. It's our tribute to the great man. He gave so many people so much joy and laughter and he should never be forgotten. I only arsk'd!