Album Review: Tony St Ledger, Man On A Bridge

They say you only get one shot at making a first impression. Long-term Irish music scene presence Tony St Ledger is making his count with his divine debut solo LP. No stranger to these pages over the years, thanks to his acclaimed work as a member of Trouble Pilgrims (who were born from the ashes of the trailblazing punk band The Radiators From Space), the guitarist-come-vocalist finally takes the spotlight for himself and absolutely shines.

Man On A Bridge is a record that rallies against AI and offers something real. It’s an unpolished, pleasingly imperfect and undeniably alluring listen from start to finish.

Produced by his long-time cohort Pete Holidai, fans of St Ledger’s previous work, and lovers of post punk, folk rock and goth will collectively find much to enjoy here. ‘Social Vampire’ is a gloomy, groovy, 80s esque delight in the vein of Bauhaus that has plenty of bite. The cowpunk and spaghetti western-spiced ‘Lies’ is another treat, while ballad ‘Shine’ is packed with genuine, heartfelt emotion.

Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait quite as long for a sequel.

7/10