This is the brand-new album of Arrest! Charlie Tipper. 19 tracks recorded during lockdown. Once again, the Tippers are magnificent, and it will be one of the best underrated albums of 2022. A masterpiece that should be owned by all music lovers of the alternative pop underground.

It is a corelease between Old Bad Habits label and Breaking Down Recordings. Friends in UK can order the album from both labels. The albums will be posted from BD without additional custom and VAT taxes.

Friends in Europe can order directly by OBHL, for similar reasons.

US and Canada friends can order from OBHL page, with local US postage rates. Jigsaw records will arrange to post those orders with local rates always.

At last, friends from the rest of the world are free to choose!

And for the 25 first orders, we have a copy of the 2nd edition of ACT previous album Red, for free.


ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND – SONG BY SONG

Written by Tim except where indicated.


BEST LAID PLANS
If you remember the song O Superman by Laurie Anderson, that was the inspiration for the backing vocals on this song - which is basically about the creeping onset of racism and right-wing politics in our country, and the fact that there is no super-hero waiting in the wings to fly in and save us.

"There'll be work son, just you wait" - are we moving back to the days when working people crowded outside factory gates in the hope of being picked for that day's work? It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

YOUTH
A song about Harvey Weinstein and his abuse of power, especially over young women. Created from a spare bass-line Geoff had knocking about, and a very old-school drum machine.

ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
When Trump came to Power it seemed the news cycle quickly spiralled into a weird circus of strangeness with each day bringing fresh challenges to stretch our credibility. I often found myself saying “This is Alice in Wonderland type shit”, so I’ve taken the Lewis Carroll story with Alice now a present-day migrant enduring a feverish nightmare of lies and broken promises. – Geoff

CRASH THE PLANE
Inevitable song about Donald Trump, and his phenomenal self-belief in his own stupidity - even to the point of suggesting people drink bleach in order to save themselves from Covid.

FIVE ACES
A song about our own cheating, lying Prime Minister and the way he has dealt with the Covid crisis.

TRUST ME
Also a song about Boris De Pfeffel Johnson, although it could equally be about any number of other tin-pot dictators. Just a co-incidence this one ended up straight after Five Aces in the running order. Everything is fine under Boris - unless you happen not to be a successful white middle class man with a public education.

“Don't be black, don't be gay, don't be transitioning - don't get old, don't be a child, don't be a woman.”

REFUGEES
Our politicians already know what is happening to the world, they just chose to ignore it in the hope it will go away (it won’t) or they will be dead by the time it gets really bad. Selfish stupidity – the most dangerous of cocktails.

GOOD MEN
One of my favourites off the album – I love Jon’s twangy guitar on this. A song about James Fields, the man who drove a car into protestors in Charlottesville, USA, murdering one person and leaving many others injured. US president Donald Trump later said of the incident that there were "good people on both sides".

F IS FOR FASCIST
Written or week after Brexit. Farage in the European Parliament gloating. He took so much away from me, from my children. And where did it get us. This is not the country I want to call home. How can I make a difference? This fascist right-wing country has it sewn up and there is no way out. Not with such weak opponents. Corbyn was our last hope but so many stupid people believed the lies of the press – Jon

HEY! BOLSONARO
Another nasty populist bastard, it struck me one day that Bolsonaro’s given name would work as a scream (Initially I wrongly thought he was a “ Jao ” not a “Jair” but we adapted it). Screaming his name at the top of my lungs is a fair representation of my despair at someone like him being in charge of the Amazon rainforest. – Geoff

LOCKDOWN
You can't make an album during lockdown without a song about how it feels to be cooped up in your own home, unable to meet up with another human being. The fires in gardens is a reference to the people who seemed to be intent in burning all their belongings in their back-gardens during this time, causing a lot of discomfort for the rest of us.

LET’S BE HONEST
Denial - so many people just turn their heads away because they don't want to see and believe a lot of the bad things that are happening in our society. As a side issue, does anyone really believe that the introduction of robots will lead to a life of leisure for ordinary working people?!

LIGHTNING STRIKES
Inspired by the horrific fires in Australia, and the barefaced denial by politicians there that it could be anything to do with climate change. Here in the UK we're sitting by watching, just knowing that sooner or later it is coming here too.

SPACEMAN
The Daily Mail ran a story evoking the 'spirit of the blitz' and berating teachers who didn't want to put their lives at risk by working in poorly ventilated classrooms full of children carrying the coronavirus. Meanwhile, on the streets people spat at bus-drivers and tube-station workers who asked them to put on masks.

UNRELIABLE WITNESS
Written midway through the first lockdown this relates to the Government response with all the incompetence and failure it featured. I felt quite bitter about all the shortcomings and nothing I’ve seen since has made me feel any better. – Geoff

BLACK BOX
Does anyone really know who you are, what you spend your time thinking about, how you would react in a crisis?

FALLING DOWN
Sometimes writing songs begins with a bit of navel gazing before a thread is discovered sticking out just above your belt. You follow the thread and tug on it. You don’t where it will lead and before you know it you’re stood there with no pants on. Naked and open to the world! Sometimes songs aren’t about one thing it’s written over a number of days and whatever is on your mind ends up in the song. A collection of different thoughts, feelings and memories. That’s falling down. – Jon

STAY SAFE
I was living in Bristol - my girlfriend was stuck in Glasgow. I wrote this song for her.

THE CIRCLE
Also written after two months of lockdown this song is about all the people who died in the pandemic and their families’ loss. It’s really an optimistic song that death doesn’t have to represent an end but there is a cycle to life and death. There is strength to a Circle in lots of different ways. I think I might have nicked the idea from Elton John. - Geoff


The Tippers are:
Tim Rippington - vocals, guitars
Jon Kent – Guitars
Geoff Gorton – Bass Guitar
Rocker - Keys
Linda Gorton - Backing Vocals, Percussion
Simon Harrison - Drums