Trading in a blend of fast and furious rock & roll, spiky guitar pop and punk angst, this scintillating debut from the north Dublin four-piece should prove a suitably impressive kick-start to their recording career (they’re already a live force to be reckoned with around town).
While they don’t in any way re-invent the wheel, what they do, they do very well indeed. The title track centres around a jerky, stop-start guitar riff that Joe Strummer would’ve been proud of, while ‘Beat Up Beat Down’ with its machine-gun drumming and passionate vocals is a tour-de-force of tight musicianship.
It’s not all frenetically paced salvos in the Von Shakes household – ‘If You Go’ showcases a gentler side, recalling the atmosphere of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Still In Love With You’ while the slow-burning ‘Template’ builds to an impressive crescendo. Other highlights include the jaunty ‘Happy Song’ and the jangly indie of ‘Obsession’. With production assistance from guitarist-to-the-stars and former Blades/Partisans man Conor Brady, Von Shakes have certainly announced their arrival in style.
Great Shakes, anybody?