August 7, 1999

Travis : Why does it always rain on me

[a]Travis[/a] are not the heroes we need. They do write lovely soft and sad songs. This single is such a song, it's one about being rained on.

Bonnie Tyler once opined that she was holding out for a
hero.
Really, she wanted a boyfriend and little knew that two decades later a desperate NME hack would try and rinse fresh meaning from the song in a singles column. But that's what's happening: listen.

Right now, more than ever, I'm holding out for a hero. We all are, aren't we, friends? Without one (or more) music in this country seems to be withering on the vine. We're in trouble.

Travis are not the heroes we need. They do write lovely soft and sad songs. This single is such a song, it's one about being rained on. It's a metaphor for being depressed, and we all get depressed from time to time.

In last week's NME, Travis, the fastest-growing
guitar
band in the land, declared that they didn't really feel the need to be for or against anything. They did say they were looking forward to a 20-year career.

Choose your enemy. Steal an instrument. Start a group.

Ted Kessler