Album Review

The Locarnos – Give It To Me Straight

• 12th Apr 2008

Without doubt one of the most promising new British bands I’ve heard for a while. This band oozes stardom and swagger. It’s rare to hear a band sound so accomplished and sure of their sound at such an early stage in their career; I strongly emphasise the word career here as I am in no doubt this band are to have one.

While I must admit to being neither a big Kooks or Razolight fan there’s certainly some great credentials in these bands it’s hard to deny them of, one is the ability to write a great pop song. If these three finely tuned tracks are anything to go by The Locarnos have this knack in bundles.

There are certainly parallels here between The Locarnos and the said bands and the singer may have even spawned is very own ‘ohh laaa’ with the ‘ey ooh ohh’ that appears on ‘Give it to me straight’. But what makes The Locarnos far more likeable is that they put this pop sensibility to use within a direct and cocksure sound that will hit you with aplomb, and unlike when listening to the other two bands you wont feel like it’s a guilty pleasure.

Whether or not this identity will stick with the band once the major labels cotton on to their gloriously pop-ridden sound is another matter. But lets hope they can because for now The Locarnos tick all the boxes.