The Littlemores unveil their EP, Idol Idols II due for release on the 30th July, to coincide with their headline set at Fibbers, York on the same night.
The young, fresh faced 4 piece from York produce a very unique sound that is raw, fresh and as exciting as any unsigned band doing the rounds right now. This group truly are the most exciting group I have seen in some time and there is little wonder why they were crowned Battle Of The Bands Winners in York. Their fresh, genre stretching music will appeal to many a generation and many a taste.
The groups ska infused, jangly sound comes from Jack Williams’ fantastic, well timed drumming, Kai West’s brilliant up front, deep bass notes, front man Conor Hirons' wonderful, jangly guitar riffs and melodies and Ben Crosthwaite’s infectious trumpeting which gives the tracks a huge lift and gives the group their very unique, trademark sound.
Conor’s vocals are honest and gritty and present the listener with brilliant, witty and intelligent lyrics which tell the tales of the characters from Idol Street, a collection of ultimately dreamed up people who are all as believable and real as your next door neighbour, used to cover very relative and true to life topics from gambling to violence and everything in between with all the youthful angst of punk poetry and the wit of Morrissey.
This EP is an eclectic mix of punk, indie, mod and ska, which the group chuck into the melting pot and somehow make work and work very, very well. They are a very difficult group to compare, with no two tracks sounding the same and no signs of anything other than a complete uniqueness to their attack on guitar music. There are obvious influences from the likes of The Libertines, The Jam, The Clash and The Specials but not for one minute is their sound too closely matched to any of these.
This amazing EP shows unbelievable musical talent and an intelligence and understanding of music that should propel this fresh, young group to the heights that they duly deserve to achieve.
Femme Fagin is the first track on the EP and really sets the tone for the rest of the recording. From Kai’s deep bass that sets up Connor’s lovely scratchy riffs, through to Jack’s perfectly timed smacks of skin and symbol, this track is musically perfect, the flow of the song is catchy and fast paced and the less frantic sections show Conor’s talent with his guitar as he changes the key and steadies into lovely short passages of plucked, high strings. The lyrics are absolutely wonderful, cheeky, young and relevant to today; they tell Femme Fagin’s story as Conor works his way through them with his honest, laid back vocals. To be really critical, Conor’s vocals are not at their best on this track, he lifts them for the other tracks on the EP and Ben’s influence with his brass sections are missing from this track also which do make this the weakest track on the EP, but it still gets 10 out of 10 from me, which just shows the quality on show from here on in. The music is flawless; Kai’s bass is fantastic and Conor’s scratchy guitar awesome, while Jack keeps everything going in time with his brilliant drumming.
Charlie Blow is probably the best track on the EP, it has all the rhythm of ska, with the wonderful gritty lyrics of punk and the busy guitar sounds of indie at its best. Conor’s guitar playing is soft and intricate, backed up by Kai’s bass brilliantly, the octaving notes he plays set an absolutely addictive rhythm along with Jack’s drumming, which although is much quieter then on most of the tracks, the complicated and fast rhythm he sets is quite special. All this is then given the huge boost by Ben’s trumpeting throughout the track, it sets this group apart and takes them from been a special group to a quite brilliant group. The lyrics are amazing, how Conor writes them at such a young age, I don’t know but they are what makes this track so special and he sings them perfectly, his laid back, urban voice suits the lyrics perfectly and delivers them exactly how they should be heard, in much the same way that Ian Curtis made Joy Division’s lyrics work or Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.
For The Lads is another wonderful lyrical display, punk poetry from start to finish delivered with a real softness and sincerity in Conor’s vocals. The tempo is much slower; the track gently flows with soft plucked strings and very gentle plodding bass. It is Jack’s drumming however that makes this track, it is wonderful and the instrumental passage where he belts away at his drum skins to produce a military style drum section is absolutely awe inspiring and once Ben backs this up with his huge trumpeting, you have an amazing atmospheric sound that is beyond words. This track probably should not work, but it does 110 per cent, it gives you an insight not only to the group’s diversity, but also their ability to capture the lyrics of a song and provide the atmosphere needed to carry them with their fantastic musical ability.
Larry is another great track, catchy and very much danceable; this is as close to a pop song as you can come without removing yourself from your roots as a genuine guitar act. Conor’s lyrics are again top notch, his description of Larry and Larry’s life and misfortunes send an inspiring message and really give you a picture of the characters life. His vocals are at their best here, I truly think the group love this track and Conor especially as he really grabs hold of his vocals and delivers wonderfully, showing a true vocal range for the first time. The bass again sets a lovely rhythm while Conor’s diverse use of his guitar sets a lovely scratchy melody and heavy metallic chorus. Jack again sets the platform for the tracks beats to follow while Ben gives the track its edge with his brilliant over lay of brass. The group again change things, dropping everything to a low section of gentle drumming and vocals before everything slowly comes together once again and Conor lets go with his guitar and plays his brilliant scratchy riffs.
Idol Street starts with a wonderful musical jam where all the instruments barring Ben’s trumpet play together brilliantly. Conor’s vocals are like the last track at their best and his guitar playing is also top notch, with everything on show from deep plucking, jangly melodies and metallic riffs. Kai’s bass carries the sound forward brilliantly again and Jack’s drumming is another wonderful display and his use of the symbol fantastic. The lyrics and vocals are brilliant but it is the musical display here which really impress. The guitar and bass especially during the instrumental section mid way through the track. Even though Ben’s trumpet is not used the group still manage to provide a huge sound which is again catchy and melodic and the lyrics wrap up the tale of Idol Street brilliantly and provide the listener with another gritty tale of urban wrong doings and personal failures.
This EP has everything; it is catchy, unique, musically excellent, lyrically outstanding and pretty good vocally too. The lack of production on the recording is another notable merit and displays the group’s raw sound without any inclusion of backing, synths, keyboards or even any obvious editing. Raw and energetic this EP is now my soundtrack to the summer and it’s only failing is that it is indeed an EP and not an album because The Littlemores are morish and leave me wanting more and more.
STEREOBOARD RATING. An outstanding 10/10
Images courtesy of Tony Tinegate of www.TKPFimages.com
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