Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The Phoenix may be a creature of legend, of implausible birth and dramatic happenstance but it is a being to whom much is owed, especially when describing a band to whom out of various embers have arisen and offered a glimpse of the new Power Pop/Pop Punk sensation that will surely blow the socks off and enthuse the minds of those that come to hear of them over the next couple of months and beyond as their album Death Of A Western Heart takes hold.
The Phoenix has a name in this circumstance, not content with just to be seen as a mythical beast on the prowl in the flat lands of Lincoln, no longer seen to be a separate animal with four journey’s under its belt, the B-leaguers are a group to whom Lincoln will be proud of and to whom the rest of the country, if there is justice in this creaking world, will come to admire for bringing back an attitude to the genre that has been sadly missing, that of the elegant smile and hearty enjoyment.
With The Popdogs’ James Styring on vocals and giving the lyrics substantial meat, Ched Howard’s bruising guitars and Mikey Barraclough and Mark Barrett offering a bass and drum section that keeps the groove upbeat and upmarket, this is collective of four individuals making a team that rock, that offer class in abundance.
The Death Of A Western Heart isn’t just a rebirth of four distinct ideals, it is a offering to a new belief, the death they speak of is only in the past, this is very much a set of songs firmly entrenched in the idea of preserving life and making it sing with fascination and glory, it is the beast that never forgot how to roar and whilst the phoenix may revel in the lick of the fire to be reborn, the B-Leaguers are the ones stoking it with piles of black coal.
In tracks such as Amnesia, Canyons (Suburbs and Centres) and the excellent Lemonade, the B-Leaguers pass all expectations and the world, once devoid of sentiment in the heart of Lincolnshire now seems to buzz with excitement once more and it is an association that will be grasped fully and with true intent, the phoenix has risen, the fire is ablaze.
Ian D. Hall