Despite looking like a bunch of bad actors posing around in waistcoats and flat caps on the cover, The Whatmans are deceptively cool. 'Devil Shoes' rocks. Not in a sweaty hairy way, but in a way that crosses Blue Oyster Cult with Peter Hook's bass playing (in fact, it's almost entirely lifted from 'She's Lost Control' and 'Insight' - but that's no bad thing) and some searing, soaring Editors-style guitar.
'Follow Me' is a darker, more brooding number, but is still propelled by some powerhouse percussion and a meaty bassline. John Brennan's voice has just the right grit to make it sound convincingly rock 'n' roll, and as he hollers over the solid rhythms and comparatively understated guitars, I can't help but think that this is how Oasis might have sounded if they'd had any imagination, or The Cooper Temple Clause might have gone on to sound had they not gone soft and then split up.
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'Casino "Unplugged"' is, unsurprisingly, an acoustic track. The vocals may be too high in the mix, as singer John Brennan belts out the lyrics at the same volume as on the preceding electric tracks, but his insistent holler of 'C'mon,' despite sounding a bit like Primal Scream's tribute to the Stones, is undeniably infectious. Good stuff.
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