Bring back Rootjoose

Of all the bands that deserved to ‘make it’ and become mainstream was Rootjoose, a brilliant funk-rock band from the late 90’s/early 2000’s.

Hailing from the UK’s surf capital Cornwall, the band released their debut album Rhubarb in 1997, an energy-filled and diverse fusion of funk, pop, dance and surf-rock.

Hits on the album included “Mr. Fixit” & “Can’t Keep Living This Way”. The best from an album that frequently takes you back to those hazy late 90’s summer days.

• Listen to several popular Rootjoose songs online for free

Great to see live, their performances included light shows and semi-choreographed “comedy” dances that enlivened crowds. They immediately got a cult following of dedicated fans from gigging up and down the country, more so in the south west where they appeared on local and at one point national television.

Just as the band was tipped to break through into the mainstream though, their record label Rage went bankrupt. The fashion at the time was for introspective indie music rather than their more upbeat style, so they were unable to secure a new recording contract and broke up in 2001 after releasing a ‘home-grown’ EP Money and Time early in 1999.

It was a sad end for a band that had created it’s own musical niche, and were showing a lot of promise for greater things.

Bring back Rootjoose!

• See their MySpace page
• Buy Rhubarb, their debut album on amazon.com