From Robyn on Patreon in 2025
The movie 'This Is Spinal Tap' has become a bible of sorts to those of us clinging to the rusting hull of rock music, as it sinks into the opaque waters of time with as much grace as it can muster. At least one of my ex-managers was convinced the film contains all the patterns of human behaviour that can blossom in the rock’n’roll eco-system: and after a lifetime in the murky shallows of indie rock, I’m inclined to agree with him.
A fair amount of the Tap’s music is a hybrid folk-metal, which at one point was as close as you could get to defining the Soft Boys’ sound: not that we were anything like as cute. "The Majesty of Rock" has echoes of a British Airways commercial to me; it celebrates rock music in a very Anglo way. The farmer, the shepherd, the foal, the crowing cock, the darned sock, and the scored goal are all encased in “deeper than Royal Blue”: the song has that roast beef aroma of how Great Britain likes to present itself to the rest of world - heraldic and a bit stupid. The Empire after it lost its teeth and became a cosy old beast you could put your feet up on. But, by Jove, this song isn’t half catchy!
This version was recorded with one of my favourite Australians, Davey Lane. His band, You Am I, have performed entire shows of Spinal Tap material and I’m very grateful to him for showing me around the song before we recorded it.