The Sherlocks “Live For The Moment”

This is the debut album from Sheffield based Sherlocks but it comes as the band have certainly built up a head of steam and quite a bit of press attention. That’s partly due to their dedication to live shows which has already seen them building a strong fan base. Of course, doing arena shows supporting the likes of Kings Of Leon and Richard Ashcroft doesn’t hurt as well!

We love a big and brash opening song and that’s certainly what they deliver with “Will You Be There”. It’s a swaggering indie rock n roller. Tracks like “Chasing Shadows” and “Candle Lights” have the kind of loud and bold sound that recalls The Killers when they first hit the scene. It’s that sense of an already fully formed act.

Indeed, The Sherlocks are a kind of throwback to bright and big indie pop songs. The title track “Love For The Moment” bombs along with a melody that could easily accompany a goals montage on your favourite sports show. Although, they’re not afraid to get their hands a bit grubby, “Escapade” and “Heart Of Gold” contain dirtier riffs that will appeal to fans of the Arctic Monkeys.

You sense that they’re a band with big ambitions. Certainly, the epic sound of “Nobody Knows” suggests a band with their sights firmly set on festival headline sets. It’s easy to imagine them performing “Was It Really Worth It” to a crowd belting out every word. That same crowd will then be getting their lighters aloft (or in these modern times iPhones!) to the sound of “Turn The Clock”. That’s all before they return to the pure indie pop of the anthemic “Last Night”.

This is very much a ‘proper’ indie rock album, delivered by an almost ‘traditional’ sounding band. What is really most surprising is just how complete and bold all the songs are for what is a debut album. They are more like the tracks you’d expect a band to deliver when they are confidently hitting their stride on their second or third album. People have queried where the future big, headline indie rock bands are going to come from. Well, with the right nurturing and a fair wind, The Sherlocks may be one of them.