For those of you that like your reviews short, The Steady Boys sound like The Clash.
That there is the simple crux of things, wrapped up in a neat package finished off with a pretty bow. It’s a little simplistic but essentially that’s the lasting impression you get when listening to the band’s debut album, “Roots”. In fairness, “Roots” is actually influenced by the late 70’s/early 80’s punk movement as a whole rather than just The Clash. Across its half-hour time span the record is chocker with that ska-tinged punk sound. Sometimes it’s straight-up punk-rock, other times those subtle upstrokes peek through, and then on occasion it turns into a heady direct ska number. There’s even a few modern influences lodged in there; “Dead End Jobs” and “Your Life’s On Me” are littered with rock ‘n’ roll riffs that make these reminiscent of Rancid, whilst “Can’t Hear the Alarm” has the gang-punk feel of the Dropkick Murphys, minus the Celtic add-ons. Saying that, who heavily influenced both Rancid and DKM?
It feels lazy to make this comparison, but that really is the feel here. “Roots” isn’t a record that’s about originality. It’s more a doffing of the cap to the bands that paved the way, played by a bunch of guys that love this kind of music. Nothing wrong with that, and there are far worse bands to be imitating. And here’s a guarantee, a few pints in these songs will have your glass raised and you bobbing along. It is what it is.
Alex