Eastbourne is a pretty place with reputed and fairly evident terrible pensioner to fun ratio, and as someone who grew up in another of these particular nightmare environments, this either turns you into a next-generation baby making drone or pisses you off enough to make you a little bit angry at everything. The James Cleaver Quintet have exploded out of their quirky little part of the Sound East of England with a sound filled to bursting point with the latter, and have made no mistake in delivering some memorable live shows in their short time together as a band.
Live favourite and opener ‘I Do, You Do, We Do Voodoo’ and ‘TNT’ are the highlights from this six track debut, but that’s not to say it’s not consistant, and the steamroller of attention that their catchy-but-manic garage-punk hardcore is driving will only be accelerated by this release of an impressive and varied selection of songs. The production across the EP is a perfect capture of the enigmatic nature of the band’s live shows, and solidifies the band as one to watch over the next year or so.
Tom Aylott