THE BEES

Free The Bees Tracks: 1. These Are the Ghosts 2. Wash In the Rain 3. No Atmosphere 4. Horseman 5. Chicken Payback 6. The Russian 7. I Love You 8. The Start 9. Hourglass 10. Go Karts 11. One Glass Of Water 12. This Is the Land (released June 28 2004) Free The Bees (vinyl)

Free The Bees is the sound of a band [led by Paul Butler, pictured right at The Big Chill] which has grown in confidence stretching their musical muscles somewhat, to deliver a telling blow to the collective listening psyche. Gone is the quirky, raw sound of the debut album, made from a shed in Paul Butler's parents' garden, replaced instead by the luxurious environment of the world-famous Abbey Road studios.

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.93: Bees bassist Aaron 'Fletch' Fletcher has the smallest ears for an adult male human in the known Universe - they're even smaller than mine, and that's saying something. In fact, they have not grown since he was a baby.

Is it any surprise, then, to find that the same sound that helped to make The Beatles so famous, during their stint there, is present throughout Free The Bees? This is an album which feels like a glorious nostalgia trip through the late Sixties and early Seventies, courtesy of the tight pop tunes and glorious psychedelic workouts contained within. The singles are evidence of this, with Wash In The Rain a gloriously chirpy workout, complete with a Stranglers' hammond organ workout during the chorus, and Horsemen, a sublime 70s rock-tinged guitar work-out, that finds the band at their rockiest.

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.17: In medieval times, static electric shocks were thought to be stings from invisible bees. Invisible bee honey was a highly prized commodity, with a small jar fetching a price of seven chickens, a donkey and a couple of stoats on the open market.

It's an obvious thing to say that bands capture the sound of the Summer in some of their song-writing, but it would be foolish to overlook the fact that this really does provide the perfect soundtrack to those sun-drenched (hopefully!) days. It harks back to a time when love was free, flower power was king, flares were the order of the day, and people felt a little bit more chilled out about themselves. All The Bees need is the army of screaming women fans and they will be set. For this really is an album worth shouting about! Review by Jack Foley, excerpted from IndieLondon.co.uk

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.54: Bees actually do know the words, they just prefer to hum.

Wash in the Rain (CD single) (April 2004)

Wash in the Rain (7" vinyl single) (April 2004)

Horesmen (2004) 4 track CD single, with video.

Horesmen (2004) 2 track CD single.

Horesmen (2004) 7" vinyl single

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.27: Bees can see ultraviolet light which enables them to locate the position of the Sun even when it's obscured by clouds.

Deep in the idyllic countryside of Adgestone on the Isle of Wight, Paul Butler and chums recorded the album Sunshine Hit Me. The press has described the result variously as a mixture of "free jazz, roots, calypso . . The Beach Boys . .Pink Floyd, The Beatles," and compared their sound with a meeting of The Beta Band and Zero 7. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Paul Butler stresses the roots influences of Lee Perry, King Tubby and Fela Kuti. Others have detected McCartney, Syd Barrett, Bacharach and John Barry.

. . . a charmingly mashed-up mixture of summer days and musical history . .

i-D, June 2001

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.39: Once bees have finished gathering nectar, their sensitivity to colour and shape becomes 'switched off' and they are instinctively attracted to black dots - representing the flight holes of their hive. No attractive flowershape or scent can lure them once they decide they want to go home.

One reviewer rather unfairly described The Bees' eschewing of samplers and sequencers as making "music for luddites" (i-D, June 2001). But there are serious musical and aesthetic reasons for the stand Butler takes - The Bees want to recapture the spontaneity of live performance and the atmosphere and feel of the classic recordings of 50s and 60s which defined a more innocent era. In a way, Sunshine Hit Me is a modest and beguiling challenge to the polished emptiness of corporate pop, and over-reliance on technology. So far Butler has always refused TV performances that would require them to mime. This stand bore fruit when they performed their new single, , live on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 23rd April, 2004. They continue to tour and their star is still resolutely on the ascendant.

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.52: Although they are sensitive to ultraviolet light, bees cannot see the colour red, which appears black to them.

. . . a sweet, highly listenable creation which shows that British pop artistry is still flourishing.

The Observer, Review 10 March 2002

Each of the eleven tracks was written, performed and recorded by Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, with the exception of Sunshine and Zia, which were co-written with James Nye (who also features on soprano saxophone, keyboards and piano on those tracks), and No Trophy, which was co-written by Mike Clevitt who plays bass.

. . you will want to award them some kind of prize for swashbuckling, Indiana Jones-style pop archaeology. . mere talent borrows: genius steals, and they've pulled off the heist of the year.

Hotpress.com

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.66: Bees are attracted by the perfume of flowers and can distinguish them from leaves by markings and shape.

(below) Aaron Fletcher

The live band, which has performed at Fabric, Glastonbury and Rock Island (the Isle of Wight festival) amongst many other gigs throughout Europe, features Paul Butler (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Aaron Fletcher (bass), Chris Birkin (guitar), Michael Clevitt (drums), Warren Hampshire (keyboards), and Tim Parkin (trumpet).

. . . a beguiling breeze of an album that never loses its cool.

Q, March 2002

They're amazing, basically.

NME, 1 December 2001

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.23: The male bumblebee makes his presence known by leaving spots of pheremones spat from his mouth on leaves and twigs. When a lady bumblebee finds one, she waits for him to return; they then enjoy the conjugal delights. The male dies shortly afterwards - which is sad, but may bee a nice way to go.

Sunshine Hit Me Tracks: 1.Punchbag 2. Angryman 3. No Trophy 4. Binnel Bay 5. Sunshine 6. A Minha Menina 7. This Town 8. Sweet Like a Champion 9. Lying in the Snow 10. Zia 11. Sky Holds the Sun. Available to buy from Amazon. Also available on vinyl: Sunshine Hit Me

Other music by THE BEES: Click the links to buy from Amazon:

A Minha Menina (CD single) Tracks: 1. A Minha Menina 2. No Trophy 3. Out for the Count(August 2003)

A Minha Menina (7" vinyl single) (August 2003)

A Minha Menina (7" vinyl single) Tracks: 1. A Minha Menina 2. Out for the Count 3. Punchdub (June 2002)

A Minha Menina (single) Tracks: 1. A Minha Menina 2. Out for the Count 3. Punchdub (June 2002)

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.73: So called 'killer bees' have advanced through South America to America. Aggressive, and with stings which have proven fatal for animals, and some humans, killer bees were bred by accident in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Large African bees were crossed with gentler European bees to improve honey-yield. 26 European swarms escaped, each with an African queen bee. The cross proved particularly aggressive, with a particularly potent sting. Experiments are underway to release attractive, gentler but sexually promiscuous European bees in the hope that the new strain can be bred out of existence.

You Got to Leave (EP single) Tracks: 1. You Got to Leave 2. Elain 3. Whistle Chop 4. Jackel Head (February 2002)

We Love Yule (CD single) featuring The Bees. Tracks: 1. Sunlight hits the snow - I Am Kloot 2. I'll be fucking you this Christmas - Shawn Lee 3. Lying in the snow - The Bees 4. Christmas Song for Mel (inst) - Remington Super 60 (December 2001)

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.42: Honey symbolizes the essence of life which lies beneath the surface of existence. "The essential oneness which underlies appearances is further emphasized by the way in which bees work together as a single unit . . Each man is part of a great whole: mankind, of which the King or Cosmic Man is the symbol. If he identifies with this larger whole, then he is immune from personal extinction. Thus bees are the sacred attributes of many goddesses, and honey is a divine food which nourishes wisdom, a symbolic manifestation of the sweetness of the Earth and the sap of life. Related symbolism 'The Owl [wisdom] and the Pussycat', who took honey and money when they set out on the sea of the Unconscious." [Tom Chetwynd, 'A Dictionary of Symbols.']

Punchbag (EP import) Tracks: 1. Punchbag 2. Town (Version) 3. Minha Menina 4. Elain 5. Whistle Chop 6. Jackel Head (August 2001)

Punchbag (7" vinyl single)(July 2001)

No Trophy (7" vinyl single limited edition) (January 2001)

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.69: In his fascinating book, 'A Dictionary for Dreamers, Tom Chetwynd has a single sentence to explain the siginificance of bees in dreams. Tom says that bees in dreams represent "the love-mad."

Paul Butler's first bands were Pnu Riff and the Exploding Thumbs. You can read about them and their recordings here:
Pnu Riff and The Exploding Thumbs and The Bees

Paul Butler also appears on The Krill Papers by O.H Krill. Click here to read reviews.

101 Fascinating Facts About Bees, No.80: Despite popular usage of the term, the bee is not scientifically classified as an insect. In fact, bees are a type of miniature flying rodent, distantly related to the squirrel and hamster.

Photoportraits by Sophie Shamim

Cover print by Peter Lloyd

Apart from the offical, shiny Bees website, there is a great new fansite FreetheBees by graphic artist Mr Kim Walker. Everything a Bee-fan needs.

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Since 23rd May, 2004