Aberdeen’s The Upstars look as though they’ve wrestled the tag of ‘hardest working band’ away from anyone else who wishes to lay claim to it. A quick shufty at their myspace page shows they’re touring for the whole of June, July and August, which will surely see them become better known than they are now. Mixing a skate-punk vibe with a cornet, it’s difficult to pin the band down to a particular sound and that’s a good thing. The Upstarts are tight, the songs are well sructured and everything is above average. ‘Conditioned+Confused’ actually reminds me of Guttermouth with brass, although that wouldn’t be a fair reflection of the band on the whole. Plus they’re better than Guttermouth. The short of it is, this band are worth your attention – with a few hooks and a tight sound, they may start making a name for themselves sooner rather than later…
www.myspace.com/theeupstarts
paul