The Beautiful South - sailing solo, 2003

"The continued existence of the Beautiful South is an affront to anyone who has spent the past 14 years waiting for the wry smile that perpetually plays at the corners of Paul Heaton's mouth to break into actual laughter. Fatherhood and a move to Manchester since their last studio album have apparently done little to convince him that life is any more than a series of bleak vignettes best examined from the detachment of his front room."