“Hey, 1997, how’s tricks? We found one of your pack wandering around… Oh, they’re actually 2009’s? Right…” Shameless faux- conversations aside though, the feeling that The Lea Shores have somehow beamed in from a time when The Charlatans filled the left-of-centre-Oasis niche is hard to shake off; with their mildly psychedelic twang, grinding guitars and echoing vocals, the likes of ‘Fear SOS’ and ‘Brand New Day’ tick the ‘intelligent lad rock’ boxes in suitably vintage fashion. Things take a turn for the more interesting with the noise-scapes of ‘Ride’ and the almost Velvet Underground-esque ‘Adoration’ but, unfortunately, it’s still quite enough to mark The Lea Shores out as vital.
Lisa Wright
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