Sometimes you struggle to find a new angle; after a while, phrases like ‘British Strokes’, ‘great hopes of British music’ and ‘former-Libertine’ stack up to a point whereby any ability to analysis or critique is crushed under the weight of Time Out by-lines.
Sometimes, it’s best just to talk about what’s in front of you, and ‘Stumble and Fall’, the precursor to the band’s debut album, is an assured piece of staccato guitar pop, which, while not having the immediacy of ‘Rock n Roll Lies’ (one of ‘the’ great riffs of 2003), does have a sense that the band might just be in it for the long haul. Happily, it reminds this reviewer, for no apparent reason, of The Clash, and it oozes a self-iconicism that is heartening for reasons, that once again escape me. It’s just good; simple as…
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7Gareth Dobson's Score