While their cartoonish gangster-isms might in truth have been as dangerous as a Fisher Price toy, there was always something charming about the Fun Lovin’ Criminals. Though it might pain some snobs to admit it, the likes of ‘Scooby Snacks’ and ‘Love Unlimited’ were great tracks and in the live area they can really pull it off. For various reasons though, FLC’s fortunes went into decline as the millennium drew to a close and as the rest of us presumed that the band were effectively defunct, as frontman Huey Morgan pursued a career as a talking head on TV shows.
However, there’s life in the old rogues yet. Five years on from their fifth album Livin’ In The City the Criminals release Classic Fantastic and it’s a definite return to form. Many of the tracks sound like songs you’d hear from Swedish 70s porn films, but who cares: sheer charisma drips off the likes of ‘The Originals’ and ‘She Sings At The Sun.’ It seems like Huey and his partner in crime Fast have paintings in their attics that are growing old: they, in contrast, haven’t missed a beat. They’ve also retained their humour: they’ve roped in Paul “Dennis Pennis” Kaye for ‘Conversations With Our Attorney’ and the vibe throughout is, well, fun lovin’. While some of the latter-day comebacks from ’90s bands have been as welcome as an appearance from Jim Davidson at a Ladyfest fundraiser, the return of the Fun Lovin’ Criminals is almost as enjoyable as was their arrival, first time round.
Key Track: ‘The Originals’