Yearly offering from Essex-born folk troubadour has something for everyone.
If you have never listened to or heard of Beans On Toast before, thinking of it as only an absolutely delicious evening snack, then you are not far off the mark. Beans On Toast is the stage name of Essex-born folk singer Jay McAllister. Since 2009, on the first day of December, an early Christmas present drops on the mat, and this year is no exception.
“Kill Them With Kindness” was recorded at the Greenmount Studios in Leeds with a full band. It’s a thoughtful collection with a host of social commentary throughout. However, it still features the humorous, playful lyrics that Beans On Toast excel at—songs about travelling, meeting new people, Tequila drinking, Cats, Shrewsbury and even Taylor Swift.
The opening salvo, ‘The Great North Road’, is a raucous four and a half minutes, which includes a call to art. Bassie Gracie reads a poem in the latter section, and Beans implores us all to “make art”. It’s a fantastic proposition and will have you reaching for a pen, that dusty guitar or the easel. There is no need to show, sing or read any of it to anyone; enjoy making art. “It’s good for you”.
Political commentary on ‘Gods, Children and Robots’ is a highly clever take on how different factions of society will feel about how we have handled recent world events. The opening line is poignant and sets the tone: “This is not a war, it’s a genocide / Let it be known that we all stood by / And watched it on our mobile phones / While they bombed the schools and the hospitals”. It’s a protest song from a different but altogether welcome angle.
Country vibes drive ‘Comfortable In The Counterculture’ as Beans on Toast has a snipe at the leaders of the free world and beyond. There is disbelief that we have voted in “Fake kings and greedy oligarchs” who are basically bullies with a mandate.
The first single from the record, ‘Glastonbury Oak’, is a heart-warming story of nurture and love for nature, in the form of an oak tree—an accurate account of how McAllister bought a charity oak tree as a seedling at Glastonbury. Allowing the tiny tree to take in the tors festival vibe, he then transported north to The Strines Nightingale, an inn on the edge of the Peak District, where it still stands.
Beans sings about what he knows, what he thinks and what he is passionate about. Always with humour, a dose of self-deprecation. ‘That’s Why I Don’t Drink Tequila Anymore’ will soon have you singing along as he extolls the virtues, or dangers, of Mexico’s finest. It’s a simple premise about the risks of alcohol, and has been sung many times, but this has tremendous sway and a story lyric; it could have you reaching for the hard stuff.
‘Taylor Swift For President’ may be taking things a little too far, but this punk-folk ode to Ms Swift flies in at under two minutes, and the point is made. The last lines are gems: “She’s even got her own private jet / She don’t need Air Force One / Donald Trump can keep that / And fly into the sun.”
There is an ode to his wife, Lizzy Bee. Beans on Toast is first to admit it’s “as soppy as ever”, but the lyrics are wonderful. The real soppiness comes with the tune ‘Our Cat’. Beans didn’t want a cat, but having been duped into getting one, he realises how incredible these graceful animals are—a newly created cat person.
Much of the album will translate perfectly to a live setting with sing-along sections that the crowd will love. Solo or with a band, Beans has enough musical ammunition to entertain and hold his own. Full of clever lyrics and observation, “Kill Them With Kindness” is a fine set.
