April 17, 2007

Shitdisco

Kingdom Of Fear

9 / 10 NME wouldn’t blame you for having doubts about Shitdisco. Inevitably, there’s a whiff of novelty about a band who started out playing Portakabins in Glasgow as part of an art school project.Chuck in the daft publicity photos and a debut single that fantasised about having various obscure disco producers “around for tea”, and it would be easy to conclude that Shitdisco are little more than a silly distraction from the serious, grown-up business of everyone from Arcade Fire
to Patrick Wolf.

‘Kingdom Of Fear’, however, makes rubble of such pompous reservations, in a 10-song, 38-minute blitzkrieg of car-alarm synths, bustling bass and mentalist shouting. Aided by Luke Smith (ex-Clor) on production, Shitdisco reveal themselves to be focused on being a great disco-punk band. Key characteristics you may already be familiar with are the bizarre, sharp-witted lyrics; wonky pop harmonies; delicious, driving disko drums, and teetering-on-implosion energy. But everywhere ‘Kingdom…’ is bigger and bolder than before.

Whether it’s the throbbing ‘Another’, with its Katyusha-like guitar whooshes, the groovy techno furnishings of ‘Fear Of The Future’ or ‘72 Virgins’ – a heavy, relentless slab of cyber-disco that is nonetheless full of subtle touches – this is the HD TV, harder, better, faster, stronger Shitdisco.

They’re not as “cool” as The Rapture, or as slick as Klaxons, but as soon as ‘Kingdom Of Fear’ finishes you want to hear it again. Be in no doubt: Shitdisco are serious contenders.

Tony Naylor