We Start Fires

Having arrived just as The Fold are packing their gear away, it's left to Darlington's We Start Fires to raise the tempo and kick some ass.

If Kenickie had been given a copy of Hawkwind's 'Masters Of The Universe' and told to go away and learn every chord change and Moog interlude this is what they would sound like. The dazzling 'Strut' rings like a more streetwise Helen Love while 'Wired' and the closing 'Blackout' could be the X and Y points of the axis where space rock meets indie pop. And they look great too!

So much has been written about the third coming of Sheffield that it would be pointless to say an awful lot more. Yeah, you've all heard of a certain band called the Arctic Monkeys and now the A&R men are creaming their pants over who will be the next lot to follow them into the land of the mainstream.

Bromheads Jacket seem to be the most likely contenders, even though none of the band actually originate from Sheffield. Their razor sharp wit and short, straight-to-the-point tunes about everyday life and it's humdrum occurrences offer a more contorted and less ridiculous view than that fake chav wannabe Mike Skinner and any more of his ilk.

Frontman Tim Hampton shares feelings for Surrey girls on the opening 'Woolley Bridge', declares a love for Sainsbury's car park on 'Trolley Rage' and goes on the lookout for a late night takeaway during 'Lions On The Prowl'. Musically it's the sound of 1976 pub rock (Squeeze, Eddie And The Hot Rods and even Dr Feelgood spring to mind) but don't let that put you off. Bromheads Jacket are like that quick fix of a Big Mac (that establishment is also revered on 'A Trip To The Golden Arches') and fries on a Sunday morning - you know it's not good for you but they're irresistable all the same.