Okay, I have to say it: Andy Whitaker is on a roll.
This is the third time Andy’s music has landed on the site this year. First came The Black & White Detective and the Technicolour Cowboy, then the Weaveworld self-titled album. Now it’s The Neighbours and their EP, Still. Three projects, three completely different headspaces. I didn’t plan it this way, but I’m not complaining.
And what a story this one comes with.
Back in 1981, The Neighbours were enjoying a rapid rise, helped along by legendary UK radio presenter Mark Radcliffe. Things were looking promising, but the band did what bands have been doing since the dawn of rock and roll: they split up. Apparently, nobody noticed. Fast forward to 2026, and drummer Mark had a bright idea. Why not reform the band and split up again? Perhaps this time somebody might pay attention.
Guitarist Andy was on board, although when he approached fellow guitarist Colin, Colin had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. He hadn’t noticed the band forming in the first place, let alone splitting up. Still, he agreed to give it another go. And here we are.
Honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up. It’s a wonderfully British kind of rock and roll story, complete with a healthy dose of self-deprecation and absolutely no concern for the usual rules of a comeback.
Thankfully, there’s more to Still than a happy story.
Three of the four songs on this EP were written back in 1980, and The Neighbours believe they were ahead of their time, predating the sounds that would later emerge through The Stone Roses, grunge, and Britpop. That’s quite a claim, but there’s something fascinating about hearing music from that era revisited by the people who created it, armed with decades of experience and modern recording techniques.
Rather than simply dusting off old recordings and hoping nostalgia does the heavy lifting, The Neighbours have lovingly rerecorded these four songs in 2026. The result is a collection that feels surprisingly at home in today’s guitar music landscape, drawing on psychedelic rock, British music hall, folk and glam without being confined to any one of them.
Opening track Kink In Your Plan sets the tone beautifully. A dark, psychedelic guitar refrain anchors the song, giving it a slightly mysterious edge, while the vocals carry a distinctly David Bowie-inspired quality. There’s a late-’70s sensibility running through it, the sort of sound that makes you wonder how this song might have been received had it found its audience back then. It feels like a lost classic waiting to be rediscovered, and it’s a terrific introduction to a band that clearly has more up its sleeve than its history might suggest.
Up the Right Path takes a wonderfully unexpected turn, bringing a showtune sensibility into rock and roll territory. There’s a distinctly British music hall flavor to the song, a reminder that guitar music doesn’t always need to follow the expected route. The Neighbours embrace that theatrical streak rather than smoothing it out, adding an unconventional character to the EP and demonstrating just how varied their songwriting can be.
The Backstreets of Elan is simply spectacular. Its intimate, reflective folk arrangement and nostalgic orchestration evoke Nick Drake, with each note carrying added weight. This beautiful change of pace rewards attentive listening and reveals a tender, emotionally resonant side of the band beyond its playful experimentation.
Closing track Spider In My Room brings the theatricality back, but with a sharper edge. The showtune influences return, this time with an eccentric energy that brings the excellent band Sparks to mind. There’s something wonderfully unpredictable about that comparison, and the song sounds like a fitting way to close a collection that refuses to settle into one comfortable style. The Neighbours clearly aren’t interested in playing it safe, and the EP is all the better for it.
What makes Still so enjoyable is the sense that these songs have been allowed to grow into themselves. The band members have had decades to develop as musicians, and the benefit of modern recording techniques gives this material a fresh lease on life. Yet there’s no attempt to disguise its origins or turn it into a nostalgia exercise. Instead, these recordings bridge the gap between the band’s original songwriting and the musical world that exists today.
There’s also something satisfying about the idea of a group returning to songs they wrote before some of their apparent musical reference points had fully emerged. The Stone Roses, grunge and Britpop all went on to find their audiences, but musical history doesn’t always remember the people who were experimenting before the moment arrived. Sometimes the timing is wrong. Sometimes the connections aren’t made. And sometimes, apparently, the band splits up before anyone has noticed they’re there.
Still is a charming, adventurous, and occasionally surprising return from a band with a wonderfully absurd history and some genuinely intriguing songs. From psychedelic guitar work and Bowie-esque vocals to intimate folk and gloriously eccentric theatrical rock, there’s plenty here to enjoy. The Neighbours might have been overlooked the first time around, but this time they’re making it considerably harder to ignore them.
Verdict: A wonderfully eclectic collection of rediscovered gems.
For Fans Of: David Bowie, Nick Drake, Sparks, psychedelic guitar music, British music hall eccentricity, and alternative music with a theatrical streak.
Tracks
- Kink In Your Plan – Dark psychedelic guitars and Bowie-inspired vocals make for a compelling opener with the feel of a lost late-’70s classic.
- Up the Right Path – A playful collision of rock and roll and traditional British music hall stylings.
- The Backstreets of Elan – An intimate, beautifully orchestrated folk song steeped in nostalgia, with echoes of Nick Drake.
- Spider In My Room – An eccentric, edgier slice of theatrical rock that brings Sparks to mind and closes the EP on an unpredictable note.