Formed from the ashes of the ill-fated yet ultimately well-received pop-punk band Not Katies, Hello Frisco are a no-nonsense genre-warping amalgamation of punk, country and rock ‘n’ roll that manipulates generic conventions, contorting them to suit their atypical needs. On paper, it’s a weird concept and one that might seem somewhat forced or as being different for different’s sake. The reality of it though, is a very different story. Punk and country sensibilities are fused together seamlessly and instead of the mish-mash it could have been, Hello Frisco’s début album ‘Aint No Devil, Only God When He’s Drunk’ comes across as cheeky and charming and acts as a reminder that you don’t have to take yourself too seriously in order to make good music.
Tracks such as ‘Caroline Johnson’ and ‘Redhill’ exhibit a sense of humour not often seen in punk and it’s this that is integral to the overall appeal of the band. In a scene where so many bands are bogged down with political ideologies and a dogmatic tendency to preach them, Hello Frisco are giving punk fans some light-hearted and welcome respite in a manner indicative of Aussie punkers Frenzal Rhomb, and while their own brand of “rock ‘n’ pop” might not be to certain people’s tastes, it certainly proves to be somewhat infectious after only a couple of listens.
That’s not to say that there isn’t any credible musicianship at play across the record too, though, most notably in the penultimate track ‘A Jar of Rotten Cider’, a Flogging Molly inspired booze-a-long in which singer Ewan Gibson sounds suitably snotty, leading listeners to question whether or not his punk sneer is a permanent fixture, or only a temporary aesthetic addition.
Album closer ‘She’s the Best’ is a personal favourite from the album, and sees Gibson and co taking part in some brilliantly effective gang-chant style vocals that seem synonymous with this kind of music. It’s a well trodden device, but one that’s utterly irresistible and works brilliantly to help create the aesthetic the bad are striving for.
It goes without saying that this album won’t be for everyone; the stripped down nature of the production will be enough to deter some whilst it will almost definitely appeal to the punk purists who have a penchant for the under-produced. What makes ‘Aint no Devil…’ so appealing, aside from their light-hearted nature, is the immediate accessibility of the music. That might sound somewhat paradoxical given the statement with which I started this paragraph, but for those of you with an interest in punk, be it the Celtic stylings of Dropkick Murphys or the rousing stomp-alongs of Sham 69, it really is difficult to find something not to like about Hello Frisco.
DAVE BEECH