Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It’s rare that you can listen to the tracks of a new E.P. and somehow be gleefully confused for a moment in that you think you have somehow mixed up the discs and what you are listening to is the cunning hybrid of 1950s rock and Roll and a touch of Metal, the atmosphere of 1960s screen adaptations of comic book tales and the directness of a mind-set determined to stand out from the crowd.

Liverpool band The Vibes live up to their name completely, the aggressively sincere ambience of the guitar supplied by both Darren McGrath and Mike Jones, coupled with Duncan Morrison’s bass and Stephen McCarroll’s drums make for superb listening. The character of the music is important and with the E.P. starting off with a cover of a classic from Merseyside, the sensational Brand New Cadillac, the music kicks off to such high mark that the character could be called into question. That is the nature of doing a cover song; it can detract from your own body of work to detrimental effect. However in this case it is just a springboard to what is to come. The athlete waiting at the blocks in the Olympic final of the 100 Metres knows they need a fantastic start to get the momentum going so that the finish is blistering, so this E.P., with tracks such as Find Another Man and You Got The Vibes follows that rule, it simply oozes charisma and athletic magnetism and finishes perfectly.

There is so much more to the band than the nods of Rockabilly and rock that dominates the E.P., on the track Hey Girl, the track on the E.P. written by Mike Jones, there is a hefty bow to the glorious days of Punk, especially to one of its more precious talents that of John Lydon and The Sex Pistols. Whilst the song is not as wonderfully aggressive as The Sex Pistols ever managed, nor can you ever push the imagination to far to suspect that The Vibes would ever find themselves caught up in the same level of controversy that beset The Pistols, the no nonsense attitude is there in abundance and it is a thrilling find.

A very enjoyable E.P., one on which the march of musical authority runs deep.

Ian D. Hall