The Vultures - Rebel Yelp By Caroline Murphy Photos - 23rd April 05 Under the Influence at The Adelphi By Michelle Dee

Listening to this 6+ track EP conjured up images of black drain pipes and pudding basin haircuts, the retro 60's feel seeped from every groove. The distinctive guitar riffs and rhythm in most of the tracks could have come straight from the dark and smoky atmosphere of The Cavern, and I'm sure The Vultures dream that their success will equal that of the most famous band to come out of that Liverpool venue. Even the lyrics of some of their songs hark back to this era, with Rebel Yelp calling on the rock revolution and Smarten Up talking of peace and love. I'm not so sure about gobshite as sixties terminology, but maybe this is an attempt to bring in some modern-day influence.

Though some of the tracks on the EP are quite individual there are clear influences of other bands in others of the songs featured. If Smarten Up and The Libertines' Vertigo are played simultaneously they could almost be one and the same, and Stormy Seas again shows The Libertines influence with the drum solos being particularly reminiscent of The Man Who Would Be King. However, I don't recall Pete Doherty ever singing about articulated lorries and cross channel ferries, in a bangra style. Smarten Up really grabs your attention with a catchy base line that won't leave you alone, although I don't think I can ever say I've heard the word pox in a song since the middle ages!

The band clearly like this descriptive exclamation (a pox, a pox on rock-star behaviour) as they use it again in the song entitled The Plague. This track has the feel of modern-day poetry, with the lyrics conveyed in a chatty, song-speak, Mike Skinner-ish fashion. Deadstepper reveals another popular and current influence for the band, in the form of The Cribs. The echoing oo-oo-oo 's could have been scripted by Gary and the boys themselves.

The final track to mention, The Ballad of Sinead & Alex, is Irish/Celtic through and through. The whole make-up of the song - rhythm, tune, drumbeat, and lyrics, are the Emerald Isle itself, cleverly mixed with the Scottish fraternity in the melody of When Jonny Comes Marching Home. I wonder whether the link between indie durges and the doldrums is a comment on current song-writing talents in this genre?! The references to suicide in The Paddingtons' Panic Attack could perhaps be considered in this category?

Despite having their own individual style, this band clearly has a soft spot for The Libertines, but so do many others in the music-buying public, so that's ok for me! Rebel Yelp is available from the band visit www.thevultures.co.uk for more details. Photographs courtsey and Copyright ©  Michelle Dee 2005

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