Rewind: The High Fidelity - Luv Dup

One of the best songs of the late 90s, which should've got a lot higher than number 70 in the charts when it was released 20 years ago back in July 1998. I've been looking forward to featuring The High Fidelity, for they were a hugely promising band with a lively, diverse sound and one of the best songwriters of the decade. I'm talking about Sean Dickson, who previously fronted popular baggy combo The Soup Dragons. The High Fidelity eventually released their debut album 'Demonstration' in 2000, a lively, multicoloured record that I urge every single one of you to check out. With it's big drums, majestic chiming music box melody, weeping guitars, 'Luv Dup' is one of those songs that's so brilliant, you don't even realise that there's technically no chorus, just a glorious melody that happily repeats itself effectively throughout. The b side 'Lazy B' is also a terrific moment, and could've easily been the single. The band became inactive after 2001, and Dickson became acclaimed house DJ and producer HiFi Sean, working with an array of high profile guest vocalists on his 2016 album 'Ft.'

Interesting bit of trivia: the "High" in The High Fidelity probably refers to getting stoned, as Dickson started the group when High Times magazine asked him to record a track for a cannabis-themed covers compilation album.