THE CREEPING IVIES – ALBUM REVIEW

The Creeping Ivies - Stay Wild

The Creeping Ivies – Stay Wild (Dead Beat Records)

Release Date: 10th December

OK, so here we have a duo from Scotland who introduce themselves as Becca Bomb and Duncan Destruction, play stripped down garage-rock and have an attitude that far outweighs their musical talent. I’m hooked! This is raw, primal stuff that distills the essence of rock’n’roll into a potion that can be kept in a vile around the neck of a Russ Meyer heroine. Imagine Adam West’s Batman wondering into a den of iniquity to find a villain only to be surrounded by evil dancing henchwomen – well ‘Black Cat’ is the theme tune to that scene.  ‘Madhouse Blues’ has a hypnotic rhythm to it that draws you in and ‘Spinning’ is drenched is sustain and disdain.

Becca Bomb has the same vocal style as Karen O at her most vitriolic and if you imagine that played out over the top of music in the style of the Cramps, White Stripes or the 5,6,7,8s then you’re getting somewhere near the raw energy produced by this dynamic duo. The fact that Duncan Destruction plays a stripped down kit featuring just snare, floor tom and a cymbal makes the rhythmic nature of this music all the more impressive. This is music for the masses and tunes like ‘The World’ and ‘House of Ivy’ have a genuine ‘pop’ quality that Edwyn Collins or Phil Spector would love to get their hands on. ‘Rock N Roll Ghost’ is as close as the Creeping Ivies come to a ballad but even then it’s absolutely full of soul, atmosphere and attitude. As a parting shot ‘Stay Wild’ is a natural choice and I’m sure this is the tune that crowds go mental to at the live shows as both members of the band thrash the living daylights out of what little kit they have.
There’s no denying that these guys aren't the most talented musicians around or even the best songwriters but what matters here is that they are performing the music they love with passion, honesty and a sense of rock’n’roll fun about them. All the Creeping Ivies want to do is rock out and make you dance, so why not give them what they want?

More information: http://thecreepingivies.com/

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