JOHNNY COLA & THE A-GRADES are another multi national London based band and on this EP sound like they will be worth seeing live at some point. The Lead track Halo sounds like Suede meeting Shed 7 and trying to recreate a Bowie out-take from the period of say '73-75 and coming off a bit like Woody Woodmansey's U-boat's faster numbers. It's catchy and easily stands up to being heard a few times in reasonably quick succession since it arrived in the post.
Rain Stopped Play doesn't sound like it's about cricket but does sound like it's drowning in its attempts to be like Suede, oh and drowning for sure is what Johnny Cola sings repeatedly on the chorus. It's no Metal Mickey but it is one of those songs that will worm it's way into your affections given the chance.
Ripples gets far more histrionic and feels like it has been built and built up to have as many layers as possible so that I end up listening for what's happening underneath as well as the guitars and drums on top. There is a real feel that this will work as a live song to really get a crowd going and also reminds me a bit of The Crocketts, but without all the face paint judging from the photos I have here.
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The final track on the EP is Ship Of Fools and of course that begs the question which song called Ship Of Fools are they doing. It's the Erasure one and not the John Cale or Doors or Robert Plant songs of this name and a pity it isn't about the magazine of Christian unrest of this name either. That said it's a cool, mellow, frazzled Psychedelic come down version of the Erasure song.
Johnny Cola & The A-Grades online
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