A Little Time

Like bangers and mash, The Sun and hedgerows, the Beautiful South remain a staunchly, indefatigably British institution. It is no joke to state that the sadly now-defunct bunch of Northern scum (as affectionately labelled by their legions of die-hard fans) are true-blue musical innovators: no other band in history has so successfully merged sickly-sweet, confectionery pop with the most vicious, diatribic lyrics imaginable, and wrapped it all up in chart-friendly packages that are perennial Top Ten entries. The five-piece's musical blueprint was astonishing, to say the least: an effortless amalgamation of various British music styles, including music hall, Northern soul, Madchester dance and melodic jazz, which ultimately proved too eclectic for the global market to swallow. Add to this mixture main vocalist Paul Heaton's mighty, soaring, underrated vocal chords (which he keeps in prime condition with regular visits to his local), and you have one of the most unique and memorable groups to trouble the charts in the latter half of the 20th century. Check out one of the South's most enduring numbers, the superlative love-song-with-a-spiteful-subtext 'A Little Time', aptly backed by a sharply witty video that boasts of a wicked twist ending.