In Bed With Whirlygig

The initial signs for Whirlygig's second album are, it has to be said, not hugely encouraging. The packaging, sleeve notes, the band's wacky nicknames for each other - the whole thing smacks slightly of an excursion into laddish, boozy punk folk. Cast those preconceptions aside however, and In Bed With… offers up enough surprises to make it worth the effort. Sure, opener 'The River Roar' is a jaunty enough exercise in trad rock, but there's a lot more to this young bunch than a series of drinking songs.

A tasteful, understated, almost jazzy reading of 'The Snows They Melt The Soonest' is the first real hint of their potential but it's on the smattering of instrumentals that Whirlygig show their true colours, demonstrating an encouraging willingness to experiment compared to the rather standard balladry also on offer. In Bed With Whirlygig is an impressive - and often charming - calling card.