Valensole, apparently, are set to give punk rock a new lease of life. Well, I suppose we know there they stand on the ‘is punk dead?’ debate: it’s flopping around, gasping and wheezing, but here come Valensole, raised on ‘an eclectic mix of rock music… including Nirvana, Green day, Sum 41 and early Foo Fighters’. Well, it doesn’t get much more diverse than that, does it? Hail the messiahs! Well, there’s no denying the ambition, and while they’re by no means revolutionary, they’re not only far, far better than the predictable-seeming references would indicate, but actually kick out some exciting guitar-driven noise on their self-released debut. Bent guitar notes collide against a thunderous, driving rhythm section, and Elliott Jones’ vocals snarl, sneer and drawl, conveying all the essential attitudes: angst, anger, nihilism, negativity, not giving a shit…
They’ve got tempo, they’ve got attack, and they’ve got lyrics which are simple but effective – when you can make them out. ‘Staple waster… I fuckin’ hate yer’ Jones sneers over a ragged guitar line on ‘Staple Waster’. Messy, bratty, Valensole at least make a fair stab at capturing the spirit of punk, and have delivered a barnstorming EP to boot.
