Johnny Foreigner – Waited Up Till It was Light

• 1st Jun 2008

Johnny Foreigner, a 3-piece from Birmingham, has produced a rip-stomping debut here. Waited Up Till It Was Light holds 13 songs of blisteringly-paced aggressive pop overlaid with duets (think Alphabeat, but with balls and something useful to say), solo melodies, hand-claps and the odd warble from their Casio SA-21. Careful arrangement stops this menagerie of sound from becoming too cluttered and songs like Salt, Pepper and Spindarella show a maturity unusual in such a young band.

There are a couple of radio-friendly unit shifters thrown in and they could do with a few more tracks like DJ’s Gets Doubts, an acoustic highlight that shows they’re more than just another shouty pop band, but as debut albums go, it’s a firm and fun start. Looks like Johnny Foreigner is here to stay (sorry BNP).

Go see them at the Lovebox weekender on the Gaymers great escape stage.