Tubelord are one of the most talked about homegrown bands of recent times. Everyone I speak to lists them in their top 10 UK bands, especially live. I know they’ve set the Kingston scene alight for quite some time now and this release, on Hassle, is set to further boost their standing. ‘Our First American Friends’ is a good record. At times it’s a very good record. But it doesn’t quite squeeze into greatness, for me anyway. Let’s be fair, there are plenty of gems on this album. ‘Night of the Pencils’, ‘Propeller’ and ‘He Awoke On A Bench In Abergavenny’ are genuine, quirky indie-pop hits. They’re great fun with big singalongs, the kind of tracks that go down so well in a live setting. There are many tracks that fit that bill. My only ‘problem’, as it were, is that I feel a couple of other bands do this slightly better. Tellison, while not quite the same sound, take it slightly higher and while Tubelord are a genuine, exciting new band, I still feel they can take it that notch further. ‘Our First American Friends’ is a good album. I have no doubt this band can write a great one. But for now, enjoy this record and watch Tubelord become a band everyone talks about.
