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During the promo cycle for their 2019 album ‘Renaissance Men’, The Wildhearts frontman and the UK’s finest wordsmith, Ginger Wildheart, could often be heard bemoaning the fact that it was a bunch of 50-somethings that were taking on the powers-that-be through the medium of music. Governments and major corporations around the world were offering up plenty of ammunition for musicians – that didn’t grow up under the Thatcher era – to vent, but very few were doing just that: venting. Enter the glory days of the current Westminster government and as the country lurches from one scandal to another (where the phrase “…well it can’t get any worse, can it?” is shot down on a daily basis) cometh the hour, cometh the band and Llanelli’s favourite son’s Scarlet Rebels deliver their latest opus ‘See Through Blue’ and have Westminster firmly in their crosshairs.
Any doubts about what the album title means quickly evaporate as soon as the stunning, thought-provoking album cover artwork is gazed upon. There in front of a wall of fire, in all his glory, is the current UK Prime Minister: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. His shadow casts a sinister, ghoulish shape with long, sharp fingers, and horns upon his head…no mistake here; the artwork is as subtle as a punch to the back of the head, and the “Blue” in the title ascertains to the colour associated with the Conservative Party (shouldn’t that be Parties – plural?). On ‘We’re Going Nowhere’ the band offers up the following; “When you see the damage people do/ When you give the power to royal blue/ Smile on camera while people die/ Givе us back our truths and lives” – kind of hits home doesn’t it, no?
‘See Through Blue’ is very much a topical album, and in places – political. Lines such as…”Lied to and treated like idiots/ You don’t hide the truth/ The contempt that you hold for your public/ Is so see through” (‘See Through Blue’), “The government didn’t feed their kids/ Everyone go and pick a side/ As hate and anger start to thrive/ Since when did taking a knee ‘Cause you, man, to lose your everything?” (‘These Days‘) and “We the people, we’re not sold/ Yeah, we’re the people who won’t fold/ Cos we’re the rebels on our way/ No one is telling us what to say” (‘Take You Home’) see Scarlet Rebels pulling the trigger and letting rip. But anyone expecting a political album in the style of someone like Billy Bragg will instead be met with an album full of soaring hooks and killer melodies with more in common with the anthems of fellow Welshmen Manic Street Preachers (‘I Can Sleep Now’ is the best song that Manics frontman James Dean Bradfield never wrote) than the protest songs of Bragg.
‘See Through Blue’ opens with a sense of defiance, and-or-relief, on the rousing ‘I’m Alive’, and Rebels vocalist Wayne Doyle quickly shows why he is so highly regarded as a vocalist within the scene – his enunciation is first-rate (crucial if you want your lyrics to make a connection), and his delivery is excellent. And, after the last few years that everyone has been through, who would begrudge Doyle as he exclaims “I’m Alive!” with such enthusiasm? This is a guitar-driven album, and each song has the twin-guitar attack of Chris Jones (lead on 10 of the 12 songs) and Josh Townshend (lead on ‘London Story’, and the title track) purring like a finely-tuned Rolls Royce engine. Love, love, love the sharp riffage which gives way to some delicious melodies on ‘Storm’, and the punkier, angrier, staccato licks on ‘London Story’ (just one of the many outstanding tracks on the album that are ripe for Radio airplay) and ‘I Can’t Say’. Lots of Slash-Esque licks here and there throughout the album (‘Take You Home’ in particular), and a little bit of an Aerosmith-style swagger on ‘We’re Going Nowhere.
The undisputed pick of the bunch is ‘These Days’ (winner of the much-coveted Single Of The Year 2021 on Guy Bellamy’s Great Music Stories radio show), a few minutes of simple, catchy, anthemic The Manics-meets-Foo Fighters-meets-Soul Asylum-meets-Gaslight Anthem punchy rock music that most of the world should be able to identify with, both musically, and lyrically. So many labels are looking for the next “new” sound that they are often oblivious to what’s in front of them and forget about what makes a song connect: heart and songcraft. And ‘These Days’ has both in abundance. One of those moments that will have you genuinely reaching for the “replay” button over and over again, and one that will have audiences up and down the country hoarse with appreciation.
With the weight of the New Wave Of Classic Rock movement behind them, as well as the Great Music Stories radio show, and the support (and savviness) of Earache Records, the time is now to help get ‘See Through Blue’ into the National Album Charts. For, as soon as The Brits Awards broadcasts next week, the chart will be wall-to-wall Ed Sheeran, Adele, etc, etc. Scarlet Rebels have created an album to shout about from the rooftops, the rest is up to all of us.
Available now at a reduced price for a limited time via Earache Records, connect with the band – here.
Review – Dave
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