WHAT THE PRESS SAY:
“Just as Madness fused English quirkiness with a punchy Jamaican beat, so this Manchester-based outfit possess their own brand of in-your-face eccentricity. They have a sharp eye for cover tunes, too: Steve Miller’s Abracadabra and Disney’s slithery ditty Trust in Me, from The Jungle Book, both receive memorable updates. As for the originals, there are echoes of the the unpredictable Vivian Stanshall amid the upbeat anthems and the dancehall skanking. Alien and Who Shot the Milkman? are weird but infectious. Wouldn’t you just love to see this lot live? ” The Sunday Times
“…retro-hip enough for the cool kids yet granny can shake her bony hips around to it too.” The Independent
“Inspired silliness, good vibes, strong musicianship and many toe-tapping tunes” R2 (Rock’n’Reel) Magazine
“…the Bellowhead of the UK ska scene. A larger than life, good time big band who approach their genre of choice with the requisite combination of affection and irreverence, the Mancunian 11-piece have a chunky brass sound and (as both their name and the album’s title suggest) a love for heinous punning. They’re also partial to unlikely cover versions, here bluebeat-ising the Steve Miller Band’s hoary old Abracadabra, Disney’s Trust in Me and (I kid you not) Britney Spears’ Toxic, all delivered in wallopingly fine style. There’s more fun to be had on tale with a midlife crisis twist Romeo and the good-natured lope of Road to Life. This is a cheerfully impure sound with Balkan and Middle Eastern influences plus a big serving of Madness style music-hall humour, spiked through with dry-as-a-bone Mancunian wit. Their live shows are a riot.” fRoots
“Wonderfully eccentric and infectious” Do The Dog Skazine
“Quirky, humorous and delightfully self-aware at all points, ‘Gas Mark 3’ is definitely more of a summer BBQ than a slow burner.” Penny Black Music
“A band with ability to burn. The songwriting is matchless too, with song after song delivering nagging, insistent rhythms that sound like instant genre classics” R2 (Rock’n’Reel) Magazine
“Baked A La Ska are very, very silly. ‘Just Desserts’ is an eccentric mixture of traditional ska and psychedelic experimentation, perfectly put together, with excellent production values, and – as far as ska music goes – pretty damn interesting.” AAA Music
“…irrepressible jollity as an eclectic bunch of songs get supercharged and skanked…Utterly bonkers but irresistible.” Manchester Evening News
“Absolutely brilliant covers in a totally ska idiom… the band specialise in absorbing, radio-friendly, sure-fire winners, putting them through the ska machine and delivering a stream of apparently never-ending dancefloor hits…a rhythm to die for and a real synthesis of great playing.” Musician Magazine
“This 11 headed ska monster has its collective tongue in its cheek but should not be dismissed as a novelty act. There is a very real style and polish to this album. Unlike other ska bands they manage to sound both recognisably of that genre but also have a fresh sound of their own. No mean feat.” Penny Black Music
“Simply an excellent group.” Rootstime
“…the music is always hot and cooking…delicious.” United Reggae
“mind-blowing and silly…the best thing I have heard in months” Festival Photo
“…crank it up loud and nod your head along – there’s a strong release to be found here.” My Dad Rocks online
“Theirs is a brand of ska which embraces non-ska covers all exquisitely arranged by keyboard maestro John Ellis. Sinatra segues into Gary Numan, David Bowie and sundry well-judged, well-performed musical puns that stay just the right side of novelty.” Chimp Magazine
“Very, very unexpected and entertaining indeed.” Pipeline Magazine
“The stresses ruin the homonym….It’s impossible to say, or even read, without slowing right down. Certainly grabs the attention, though.”
“Gatz”:, Word Magazine message board (“Baked A La Ska – is this the best band name ever?”)