Quite frankly, this song should come with a health warning. The moment you press that play button it’ll explode in your face like an impatient firework and that’s it; you’re done for. It’s poppy, it’s gutsy; it’s got the kind of chorus you’ll be singing in your sleep. The band are called THE VOXX, and ‘Say Goodbye To The Boy’ is a two and a half minute tornado of sparkling guitars, infectious harmonies and surging bass with Mikey Buckley, a growling, yelling zealot of a frontman at its eye.
Still, survive the initial jolt to the system and you might realise that if anything, second track ‘Pay Your Dues’ is actually a better song. It possesses the kind of timeless rock and roll confidence and swagger that pops up only once or twice a year and reminds you why, at the back of your head, you always wanted to be in a band. Imagine if Black Rebel Motorcycle Club got some sunshine; imagine a tune with the energy of Bitch by The Stones and the kind of relentless, controlled drumming that could have indie-clubbing kids rapt in a pogoing mass of hair and Converse, while their dads wait outside, pounding their steering wheels like Ginger Baker.
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Third track ‘Passed On By’ shows that The Voxx can do downbeat too. It’s a sombre little lullaby that cloaks Buckley’s lament with layers of neurotic guitar and ghostly harmonica and whilst it lacks the ‘take notice’ bluster of its predecessors, it’s a good choice for a B-side and proves that the chaps aren’t one trick ponies.
So, I guess we’ll have to wait for an album but on the evidence of this single, The Voxx seem unashamedly intent on putting some of the sexx back in rock and roll; nahs, oohs, yeahs and all. And I’m not betting against them. Granted, they aren’t going to kick-start any new musical movements, but who cares? After all, therein lies their charm; one listen and you’re hooked, you feel like you’ve known these fellas for ages and you’ve been missing them all this time.
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