Stoke’s Friends of Ken are releasing this EP on the back of a performance on Hollyoaks on November 20, which is a very nice gig if you can get it. While the band’s myspace would tend to suggest the band are influenced by the likes of Sum 41, Lagwagon and The Pixies, I feel the tracks on this record sound a little bit like a less energetic The Subways. The fact the two bands have two female backing vocalists probably helps me think of this, so I guess it’s merely a lazy comparison.
The 3-tracks here are OK, lead song ‘Pockets’ is the best of the bunch and is moderately hummable, but Friends of Ken aren’t really a band that got me too excited. The riffs are recycled from a tonne of other bands – ‘Words on Koncrete”s riff reminded me of a basic Blink 182 riff for example – and it’s all a little predictable. Still, for an unsigned band they’re doing pretty well to be attracting the attention of one of the UK’s best teen soaps and there are far worse bands around…