THE MARCH HARES are four Gooner lads who share a love of their North London stomping ground and bands who write proper songs –you know, like the Beatles or the Kinks or the Jam. There’s a slight studenty whiff about them, but don’t let that put you off; instead of watching Hollyoaks and listening to Gomez they’ve been studying hard and have handed in two excellent EPs, each of four sharp, distinctly British sounding three-minute pop songs.
At this point it’s worth mentioning that the March Hares seem to have been skiving on the day their lecturer passed on the importance of choosing role models – they’ve plumped for the Libertines. Good on ‘em though I say, check out the disjointed, gleefully impeded lead guitar on ‘Father’ (EP2) for evidence of why. Then there’s ‘London’s Dead’ (EP1), which includes not only the yardstick London name calling but also the kind of choppy, full of beans four-way instrumental banter that the Libs made their own.
What’s more, the March Hares have two singers that both sound pretty much the same. Now, with the Libertines one used to sometimes wonder if Carl Barat naturally sang like Pete Doherty or if he’d just burgled his chum’s vocal style. Not that it was ever a problem mind; that sparring made them what they were and in a way the same is true of these new pretenders – I couldn’t tell you which is which but both Josh Surtees and Stephen Yeates have really warm, familiar voices. They’re not flash but it works in a Doherty-esque, less gruff Weller-ish kind of way.
Anyway, from school gates to cemetery gates; they’re also well into the Smiths – lead guitarist Jimmy Mulvihill has been listening to Johnny Marr, pen in hand. A good example is ‘The Gambler’ (EP1) which in parts more or less is ‘Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ albeit a much sped up, less po-faced version. It’s a song that also shows that the chaps were taking notes the day Morrissey delivered his seminar on the importance of quadrupling the number of syllables in a single word (for example, ‘sight’ should be pronounced ‘su-ha-ha-hite;’ ‘time’ becomes ‘ti-ee-i-ee-uh-hime’).
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There’s something Blur-ish about ‘To the Waves’ (EP1) and coupled with the ascending fluid guitar of (more) Smiths’ songs like ‘Still Ill,’ it really works. ‘Limited Advice’ (EP2) is annoyingly catchy, as is ‘Bloodshot’ (EP2) and if they weren’t enough by themselves, ‘The Mainline’ (EP2) just confirms that the March Hares know how to write choruses that could get stuck in your head for a fortnight. This is helped all the time by the guitars, which possess this kind of amiable naivety – and that’s meant as a compliment – Mulvihill plays without the delusions of grandeur you might expect from someone young but with talent to spare; there are no unnecessary notes, no superfluous solos, just was is required to make a song complete.
With equally simple yet tuneful bass riffs and drums these eight songs feel pretty accomplished. There aren’t any bad tracks and both EPs are so short and addictive that if you’ve got them both you’ll want to play them one after the other, hence why this review is a combination of them together. It does makes you wonder why they didn’t/don’t just come up with a couple more songs, put them all together and call it an album – their material is good enough.
Some might say that the March Hares’ songs are just a bit too obvious and that their emergence signifies little other than the dawn of a new breed of Libertine-a-likes. Others would say so what? Just enjoy the music, because it’s definitely worth hearing. I’d say they’re destined for some success.
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