Blackpenny

This Ballina based hard-rock three-piece consists of guitarist Bob Doyle and brothers John and Eamon Crean on drums and bass/vocals respectively. The band, who’d evolved out of ’90s outfit Risky Business, recorded this impressive debut “live” in the studio, over a seven-day marathon session at Westland in Dublin. A no-nonsense affair without production frills of any kind, it showcases the effectiveness of the pared-down power-trio at its very best, helped in no small way by some solid songwriting and tight performances.
A killer opener, ‘Shame On You’ with its hammer and tongs headlong pace, has strong echoes of Lizzy’s ‘Chinatown’. Meanwhile ‘Devil Woman’ recalls the boogie blues of early ‘70s outfits such as Humble Pie and Wishbone Ash. Elsewhere ‘Trouble’ is a simmering, mid-tempo rocker with heartfelt vocals, while ‘Hot Tonight’ finds them veering towards ZZ Top in their ‘80s prime – no bad thing! Meanwhile, the propulsive rhythms of ‘Three Long Years’ and the smouldering blues of the closing track, ‘Risky Business’, round off what is an impressive debut from a band that probably have to be seen and heard in the flesh.