Album Review

The Virginmarys – King Of Conflict

• 29th Jan 2013

The Virginmarys are keeping the three-piece UK rock and roll dream alive on ‘King of Conflict’, their first official studio album. This isn’t a particularly unique release, with fairly heavy Kings Of Leon and Jet influences – and even, dare we say it, The Fratellis creeping in around the edges. The production is rock solid and gives Ally Dickaty’s intense, wailing vocal style room to howl over stabbing power chords, courtesy of Matt Rose, and some four-to-the-floor smash-the-crash drum skills from Danny Dolan.

Dead Man’s Shoes is the lead single and trundles along in mid 2000’s indie disco fashion, giving way to the much groovier and more impressive Portrait Of Red whilst elsewhere the Brit-pop of Dressed to Kill fares better at keeping our attention in check. There’s a Northern twang running through the vocal that should be overly familiar to any UK indie band fans, and therein lies the problem – you can’t help but feel like you’ve heard all this before in a different combination.

Soccer AM viewers will probably find sanctuary in the generic lad rock on offering here but anyone looking for anything more might leave slightly disappointed, with a vague memory of listening to an album by a band that they can’t quite pick from the bunch. More individuality and an emphasis on relevance might set The Virginmarys in better stead for future releases, especially if they don’t want to be consigned to the bargain bucket bin with Razorlight et al.

Venue: King Of Conflict
Support Band: Doublecross Records