Saint Etienne
Home Counties
Heavenly
Three stars
They may be named after a French football team, but Saint Etienne really are the most English of bands. And one traditional British trait is a pining for brighter shores. "Let's find another country, nearer the sun," sings Sarah Cracknell, the trio's radiant frontwoman, on What Kind of World. "Let's find another country, a better one."
This fun but thoughtful outfit were more a project than a group when they initially emerged, into the otherwise gloomy indie landscape of the early 1990s. Founded by two music journalists, Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley, their debut album, Foxbase Alpha, was knowingly cool, full of quirky vocal samples, sublime retro hooks and guest singers. Cracknell then joined permanently but they remained more than a mere band, making several documentary films along the way. Real life fuels their work.
Twenty six years on, Saint Etienne have returned to the Foxbase formula, but now appear happily, consciously uncool. Home Counties refers to London's humdrum suburbs, which are stereotypically populated by people either clinging to an antiquated idea of England, or desperate to escape it.
The wistful track Whyteleafe, for example – named after an unremarkable town – is actually about Brexit, the UK's divisive decision to leave the European Union, last summer. Here a disillusioned, daydreaming commuter briefly enjoys "a kind of tranquillity," sings Cracknell, "thinking of Germany".
Musically, the record is as varied as its many characters, and rather like browsing through British radio, particularly as the vocal interludes are actual BBC clips: stuffy announcements, dull quizzes. Well-crafted nostalgia abounds, notably Underneath the Apple Tree, with its rolling '60s soul groove; and Take it all In, which could easily soundtrack a stylish '70s TV drama, probably starring the late Roger Moore.
Actually, Cracknell might well disagree with the 'uncool' tag. She recently reconnected with current pop, electronica and grime – via her children's recommendations, admittedly – and that influence rears up occasionally. Heather, loosely based on a real suburban poltergeist incident, begins in a suitably spooky manner before electronic drums crash in. The youthful romance of Magpie Eyes is bathed in spiky post-punk electropop, but the undoubted standout is Dive, which marries folky vocals to a funky riff reminiscent of the Commodores's awesome Machine Gun, despite being ostensibly about swimming.
Elsewhere, there are hints of chamber music, choral moments, English football scores, even a sampled duck quack. Home Counties may baffle many listeners, but this unique trio continue to capture the eccentric heart of their homeland.
artslife@thenational.ae
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The seven points are:
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Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
