SPV (label)
01 November 2011 (released)
01 November 2011
About time for a British band to rival the talents of Chickenfoot and King Mob is all of that.
Absolutely belting stuff from the first blast of ‘Lover Of High Renown’ – driving rock with some sublime guitar work from Mr Spedding and the intriguingly named Sixteen. Classic rock basslines from Glen Matlock, blistering drums from Martin Chambers and vocals courtesy of Stephen W Parsons who used to be called Snips when he fronted the brilliant Sharks (who also featured Spedding)..
I have to admit that I was a mite worried when I first heard about the line up – Matlock and Chambers both made their names in the Punk wars while Chris Spedding started out playing with the likes of Jack Bruce immediately after Cream demised, went on to play with John Cale and Roxy Music and had a huge solo hit with ‘Motorbikin’ and Snips was fighting the wars from the other side of the trenches singing hard rock as The Sex Pistols and The Pretenders were starting out. But the end result is superior rock with a lot of very tasty changes and it actually shows off the best sides of all of them – Sixteen is simply a great find and brings another element to their sound.
They probably won’t win any awards for Political Correctness with numbers like ‘Va Vah Voom’ but it kicks along with real punch before they move into ‘Secret Song’ and show the more subtle side of the band.
‘I Was There’ has a faintly swamp-Blues feel to it with a fine see-saw guitar line and really atmospheric production.
I’m already thinking that they should be a blast live and ‘American Slaves’ sounds as though it’s going to be a favourite – hard Blues with a rock n roll swing and all the anti-American venom you could wish for.- while the single ‘Selene Selene’ is great fun and desperately danceable.
They take their name from an artistic movement in the seventies and in these days of formulaic and bland bollox they have that heart of anarchy that cuts through the best rock – they have the chops and they have the years and I can’t think of anyone who does this better.
