The Smoove and Turrell story began in the post-millennium North East of England with a group of working-class lads and a shared passion for soul. Their “Northern funk” combines elements of funk, Northern soul, and hip-hop for a classic sound with a contemporary twist, becoming a staple and a figurehead of the thriving Northern English funk and soul scene in the early 2010s. The band revolves around the core duo of DJ/producer Jonathan Scott Watson (aka Smoove) and vocalist/lyricist John Turrell, both of whom already had substantial careers in music by the time they met.
Their debut Antique Soul was released in 2009 on Jalapeno Records. It was in fellow soul head Craig Charles that they found their first radio champion as he supported them heavily on ‘The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show’ which was a kick-starter for their assault on national radio eventually landing Radio 2 record of the week (twice) and a playlist on 6 Music with their debut album.
By the time their second album – Eccentric Audio was released the band had already been touring far and wide building up a loyal fan base enthralled by their socially conscious lyrics and explosive live shows. The band were helped by continued support from radio which culminated in further BBC playlists and a New Year’s Eve live session on Radio 2. Broken Toy’s – their third album led to headline international tours, followed by album number four Crown Posada – again a big hit at national radio with BBC radio 2 playlisting two singles from the album. 2018 saw the Georgie soul crew return with a stunning fifth album Mount Pleasant, after the success of Crown Posada, which gave the band multiple BBC Radio 2 playlists and 6 music spins. 2019 then saw them celebrating 10 years with the release of “Solid Brass – 10 Years of Northern Funk”
The band returned in 2020 with “Stratos Bleu” their 6th studio album and one that continued to pair Turrell’s conscious lyricism with Smoove’s impeccable production. Keyboard player Mike Porter’s collection of analogue synths comes to the fore on the new album with a nod to the heady days of early 90’s clubbing which may be a surprise to some but in the context of this band as dancefloor favourites makes perfect sense.
The album scored the band their first official UK charts Number 1 (Dance Album Chart) as well as making a healthy dent in the Overall album Top 40. Alongside this they were given an Album of the Day accolade at BBC 6 music, cementing the fact that 6 albums in, their brand of gritty realism doused in dancefloor euphoria is more relevant than ever.
A delayed but relentless tour schedule for “Stratos Bleu” meant that it wasn’t until the middle of 2022 that they could get back to writing, delivering their 7th album Red Ellen (named after a female labour politician who was instrumental in shaping post war attitudes to social justice) due for release in Autumn 2023.
Not quite as electronic an odyssey as Stratos Bleu, but still firmly centred on the dancefloor and with an overwhelmingly optimistic message of love and compassion, the album is tempered as always with the gritty reality of working class life in the North East of England.
