Ironically, in displaying barely a drop of originality, Thee Vicars actually sound fabulously fresh when set against 2009’s crop of synth-pop bunnies.
The ultra garage-rock of ‘Psychotic Beat!’ is a barefaced tribute to bands like The Sonics, early Rolling Stones and The Stooges. Drummer Will Pattenden sounds like he’s bashing cardboard boxes and Mike Whittaker’s yelping delivery, set against crackly guitars, imply the Suffolk quartet are stuck in 1965.
Thankfully, a stack of tracks like the strutting ‘The Man Who Lived Next Door’ and ‘Mr Operator’ (a twisted take on the Sesame Street theme tune) reveal both glorious tunes and a sense of mischief. Mindless, and endless, fun.
7/10
Words by John Freeman
