The Sly Persuaders “S/T

We’ve never really believed in the old adage that you should never judge a book (album) by its cover. Certainly, the cover of this self titled debut matches the terms we’ve seen used to describe the band. That includes appealing phrases such as “unhinged sounding psychedelia”; ”rockabilly and garage coursing through their veins” and “scuzzy psych surf sound”… all sounds pretty good to us.

Opener, “Wild For The Night” is as gloriously debaucherous as you would hope from the title. Along with tracks like “TFD”, it gives the impression of a dirty rock n roll band. There’s a darkness to the songs which creates a threatening tone that will appeal to fans of The Jim Jones Revue or Nick Cave.

There’s also a swirling, psychedelic feel to songs like “Love”, which almost brings to mind a modern Doors sound. It’s the same with “Fool”, or at least until it turns into a track which should’ve appeared on the soundtrack to The Hateful Eight. Importantly, for us at least, this is also an album with a real sense of exuberance. “Steve McQueen” has lyrics that will make you smirk and also a funkier groove to it. Then, “Hey Faustus” has a seventies glam tinge.

Whilst songs like “Beyond the Rope” may be draped in a dark cloak, they’re still essentially rock n roll songs. Although “Watch and Lean” is a raw and aggressive track with a real sense of danger. That’s before it all swirls to an end with the pure psychedelia and feedback of “Gun To The Head”.

We remember when Black Rebel Motorcycle were being heralded as the saviours of rock n roll. The Sly Persuaders’ sound reminds us of them, but with the tunes to back it up. What’s certainly great is that they have the sound of a ‘proper’ rock band. That means there is a sense of danger and also seediness about them. It’s something that has been missing for some time, especially in UK based bands. Let’s hope this it the start of something special for the Sly Persuaders and British rock n roll.