They have reduced Jonathan Ross to “tears”, appeared on Blue Peter, got to the final of XFM’s rockschool challenge and they are all only 11-15. Yes, I’m in as much as shock as you. But here is the clincher… They are actually very very impressive. To be brutally honest they are producing a sound which many of their much older peers could only hope for as a hybrid of pop punk and eighties brat punk is performed more than ably by the three brothers and friend. Opener ‘Jeremy Bentham’ starts the ball rolling brilliantly with an anthemic tribute to what can only be assumed is another family member, but most importantly it displays so many pleasurable qualities. Full of grit and charm, it s from this moment you actually open your eyes a little bit more to the talent the youngsters posses.
‘My Mum Says’ is a little lightweight and seems ever so slightly contrived, with ‘RocknRoll’ also suffering the same fate, it is left to ‘BBC’ to steer the good ship Outl4w in the right direction with some cracking time signatures and yet more impressive guitar work. But what really stands out are the vocals. At such a tender age, it would have been easy for them to bring the whole album crashing down around them, but they do the exact opposite with the screeching and wailing of such untamed voices giving the music a distinctive edge over any potential rivals. This is chronicled perfectly on the Briefs cover ‘Poor & weird’ which is another fine example of what the quartet can produce. With the entire second half of the album dedicated to obscure covers (No Green Day or Blink thankfully) it would have been easy for the band once again to hit a stumbling black, but alas the constant buzz of guitar and striking solos help make almost every effort redeemable and demand repeat listens. But even with covers dominating 75% of the album, it is still that opening trio crafted by the band which remain in the memory come the end of the disc.
Please for both me and the band, go to their website and check them out. I have been left shocked and utterly captivated by the immense talents that the little fella’s hold, and if they can continue this strong run of form for the next few years, then the UK scene maybe there for the taking. If you can get past the age of the band, I promise you can’t help but be impressed.
Jay
www.outl4w.com