Hailing from the West Midlands and cribbing from the best of britpop, post-punk and pub rock, these
guys are so British they probably shit the Queen. On their debut EP, the aptly titled Round One, the foursome delivers with a trio of tracks that are rawer than Arctic Monkeys and made of pure, Union Jack energy. First there is“Punches, Kicks, Trenches and Swords,” which is the anthem to a violent night out if there ever was one. It’s followed by the equally energetic “Holes” and “Start Digging,” all of which are rowdy stompers tailor made for filled pubs and small clubs full of sweaty maniacs. Those three songs are great, but unfortunately Round One is a six-track EP. The other half consists of slow to mid-tempo acoustic tracks, which are labeled as “acoustic versions,” implying that the plugged versions exist somewhere. These quieter songs are interesting and still upbeat and full of energy, but they’re not the same as the explosive, hard-rocking numbers that accompany them. They sound neutered, as if they removed the energy from them for the sake of artistic diversity. If electric versions of these tracks exist hopefully they’ll get put on Pint Shot Riot’s first proper LP, because diversity is nice, but fast-paced fist-pounding rock is preferable any day of the week. (Life In The Big City Records 2009)
