There must be something in the Derbyshire water, what with all these horn-based bands popping up and about over the years. The Gary Colemans bear a passing resemblence to Lightyear, perhaps the most well-known of the Derby ‘ska’ troupe, but of course don’t match their heady heights. The six-piece make a good stab at doing something rather different, and with a trumpet and a cornet central to the band’s sound, they’re at least a little inventive in what they’re trying to do. Ska beats are there at times, but TGC’s aren’t neccesarily a ska band – even though they’re clearly influenced by it.
‘The Story’ is fast paced and interesting, even if the guitar sounds like a banjo (maybe it is a banjo?!), while ‘How Do I Know?’ is similarly impressive. The other two tracks on this four piece are different, but not quite as good. ‘Last Man’ is far more laid back, but for some reason doesn’t really hit the spot, while ‘Fall Out’ is perhaps the most straight up song that could sound like a number of their peers. TGC’s try and stamp their own identity on proceedings and for that they should be appluaded, but they don’t really grab my attention. A little more spit and polish and these guys could be on the right lines.
www.thegarycolemans.co.uk
Paul