Having once famously played "a charity gig in Croxteth Park to old ladies and dogs - we were on after the raffle", Liverpool/ Cheshire conglomerate ALTERKICKS now set their sights on credibility with this debut 3-track single on influential indie outlet Fierce Panda.
And it's all credit to FP for seeing past the tombolas and sideshows, for Alterkicks are indeed onto something. Yes, their sound proudly plants its' flag on the well-mapped Scouse-pop ordnance survey ("Do Everything I Taught You"'s descending faux-Mexican acoustic riffing is straight outta Love's "Forever Changes" as observed by The Bandits), but they've still plenty going on in their own right. Martin Stilwell's vocals are slightly overwrought, but it suits his natural Scouse twang, while - with the title song - the band have mastered a likeable brand of charming, chiming indie pop and, in lead guitarist Mike Oates have a secret weapon of some repute. The violence he unleashes as the song nears its' heady, diablo-infused conclusion is astonishing.
If anything, though, second tune "The Cannibal Hiking Disaster" is even better. Inspired by Dylan's "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues", the song concerns a camping trip to France that takes a macabre turn for the worse, resulting in a scenario akin to the Andes plane disaster in the film "Alive". Things get progressively darker for Martin's protagonist until he (ulp) has to EAT his best pal. "I took a strip of his leg, I mostly bit, I tried to fry," he sings, with some remorse. I'll not spoil the ending, save to say there's something of a sting in the tail. He's good, this Stilwell fella, I tell ya.
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The record signs ofr with "Do Me A Favour", which could relate to either being dumped or dying. Certainly either seems reasonable when taking this last gasp indie blues into consideration. "Lights go off, and I close my eyes" mumbles Martin as the band strum in a stoned, but determined fashion.
So that's Alterkicks for ya. They bring yet more exciting twists to the tried and tested oddball Scouse pop phenomenon and are undoubtedly up and running. A major deal is apparently in the offing and - on the basis of these three tracks - it's not hard to see why someone wants to put their money where their mouth is.
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