Dutch band The Dirty Denims follow up 2017’s Back With A Bang. Called Ready, Steady,Go! it provides six tracks of hard rock interlaced with punk, pop and that all important sense of fun. Imagine the offspring of AC/DC, The Stranglers and Blondie having a party.
Opener ‘Ready Steady Go’ shows the AC/DC lineage with a hint of Rosie, maybe if Rosie (a svelte version) was singing! It is different enough to ignore the references and enjoy the guitar backing and solo, combined with a strong vocal. ‘Last call for Alcohol’ follows a similar but more coherent structure and, apart from the tasty subject matter, the Joan Jett sounding vocals and the neat riff make this an irresistible song with a tasty bass occasionally rising above the background. ‘Too Much Information’ moves away from the Antipodes into a post-punk world and ends up sounding as if The Stranglers had transmogrified… this mainly due to a clever bit of keyboard work within the riff. ‘Thunder From Down Under’ has a clue in the title as we return to Bon era AccaDacca where they manage to reference every album, but with an injection of subtle melodies that the clones haven’t a clue about. Think of it as an ingenious tribute. ‘Turn Off The Radio’ ups the pace with more oblique references but a riff individual enough to make it stand out and a neat chord/arpeggio solo. I also agree with the sentiment of music on mainstream radio! Final track, ‘Last Call…(Hangover Version)’ is an acoustic revision of track two and somehow it achieves new heights with the harmonies of the girls working so well with the crystal acoustic, although they could have skipped the whistling.
This is a refreshing take on the familiar with plenty of individuality to prevent the replica label being attached. As I said, fun is important and these guys and girls are obviously having a blast… give it a try and you will too.
