THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Charlie Manning is Chubby And The Gang. The 30-something Londoner kicked off the project in 2019, with the intention of blending hardcore punk with the most infectious elements of ‘70s rock ’n’ roll and doo-wop.
Charlie brought in a “gang” of rotating instrumentalists to perform on the albums Speed Kills (2020) and The Mutt’s Nuts (2021). But now, Chubby / Charlie on his own for his third release And Then There Was… The album contains 16 songs written and performed by Charlie, produced by Jonah Falco, and recorded and mixed by James Atckinson. It’s a mix of control and chaos, love and loneliness, rage and vulnerability. The songs scream to be heard in a live setting, but feel just as at home playing over the speakers of a dimly lit local pub.
There’s A Devil In The Jukebox is a roaring punk track. The Bonnie Banks’ storytelling nature leads to repetitive refrain that is begging to be shouted aloud. There’s the raucous and simply put Anticop; an expansive, drawn-out moment of facing mortality on To Fade Away. And the record ends with an emotive piano ballad in Cocaine Sunday.
Throughout And Then There Was… Charlie exposes his prowess for melody and exposition of true self. In the five years Chubby And The Gang has existed, Manning has done more than most in the double that time frame. With album No. 3, Manning is primed to continue to be an enthralling voice of authenticity in the world of punk and beyond. For him, though, the only goal is to: ‘Play good shows. Have good times.’ ”
