Plan 9 from Outer Ska,
ninepoundnoteNinepoundnote's first release quite impressed me, not because the music really stood out but more because they played with an enthusiasm and energy that really put a smile on your face. The West Yorkshire mob play a brand of poppy ska-punk that doesn't really break down too many barriers, but by the same token is fun enough to spread the smiles. And it's this element of fun, missing from far too many bands today, that will cement Ninepoundnote as one of the regular support bands on the local scene.
'Plan 9 From Outer Ska' is significantly better in sound than 'Chips For Tea', but sadly doesn't build enough to suggest the band have a massive future in the music industry. The three songs on offer are arguably better than those on offer previously, and are definitely better recorded, but with a ska scene growing in stature and with bands more inventive and creative than ever before, there's a sense that you've heard it all before. That's not to say 'Plan 9...' is a bad little record, because that's far from the truth. 'Good Night, Good Morning, Goodbye' is the best song the sextet have done yet, and I'm sure there are some quaint little labels in the UK who would be interested in a band that work extremely hard in the Yorkshire circuit.
But for me there needs to be something more. You can have potential, as Ninepoundnote clearly do, but there becomes a point where that potential needs to be delivered. Unless there's a radical change I don't think Ninepoundnote have the ability to make huge strides outside of the immediate area, but as long as they keep playing with smiles and enjoying themselves, they'll be able to liven up the local circuit for a long time to come.
www.ninepoundnote.tk
Paul
