Everyone loves Dave House. He’s like one of those genuinely top guys that everyone calls a friend and you never actually hear a bad word about. Infact, he’s probably only surpassed in the official ‘PT Nicest Guy Ever’ mythical awards by the generosity of Lostprophets mainman Ian Watkins. In being an incredibly nice bloke, it makes new record ‘See That No-one Else Escapes’ such a thoroughly enjoyable listen. It’s honest and heart-warming, and while the comparisons to the likes of Billy Bragg and Frank Turner are inevitable, they’re not neccessarily welcome. Dave House is Dave House – and like ‘Kingston’s Current’ before it, this is a gem of an album.
The thing that Dave does almost better than any other UK solo artist right now is tell a story. He has the ability to enchant and enthral and his songs have gained an even warmer edge to them, making them even more personable and enjoyable. ‘Beep Beep (Hi Hi)’ has a Weakerthans-esque edge to it and ‘Carry You’ is beautiful. ‘All D’s, No Future’ is possibly the most upbeat track on the album and a great example of how diverse the record is, even though most of the tracks are borne out of the same style of music.
‘See That No-one Else Escapes’ is a wonderful record and one everyone who reads Punktastic should probably own, regardless of their musical tastes.