the paddingtons - first comes first
poptones boss alan mcgee signed this scruffy lot from hull after seeing one of their supposedly legendary live performances. same as it ever was. now, after a couple of chart threatening singles, we come to the bands debut album, which has been produced by owen morris. see a pattern within this story of rags to hopeful riches? oh yes. a warning however, this band don't have the same quality that those early oasis tracks had, but obviously alan thinks they are great, he must be hearing something that i struggled with for several listens. because, had you asked me 48 hours ago on my opinion on this album, i would have sneered derisively, but having had a little more time with this short album (11 tracks - 33 minutes), and shifted my jaded perspective to that of a 15 year old music fan, i found a certain naive charm begins to ooze out of the grotty-n-snotty indiepunkrock, thus revealing some rather fine songs. the music is primal basic garage rock with a minimal approach to sonic detail and finesse, and whether the band know it, they have taken 1977 uk punk as its year zero for their musical blueprint, they have a way with easily remembered sham69 styled chant-a-long choruses, that i'm sure will get the youthful legions pogo'ing like mad at the gigs. in fact, if anyone remembers the short lived media created scene of the mid 90's tagged memorably as 'new wave of new wave', then the paddingtons are like a political free version of s*m*a*s*h, the same lack of respect for any such thing as vocal melody, the same bash it out for the kids manifesto, and the same short shelf life, probably.
in 6 months time i doubt that this album will be heralded as a classic, but for a while, i know that these innocent paeans to teenage lust and lost love will become well loved soundtracks to many a adrenalin fuelled saturday night.
but. hey, don't just take my word - listen for yourself here so some of their sounds : myspace area