The Twang

You have to feel slightly sorry for the Twang. Any band who are lauded by the NME must surely know that it is only a matter of time before the same magazine is shouting even more loudly about how rubbish they are. Not many go from one state to the other within a matter of days, but this is exactly what happened to the Twang earlier this year. One week they were being praised for their attitude and energetic live shows, the next they were being kicked into the gutter for turning in a debut album that was merely thought to be passable.

Let it be said at the outset, though, that this is no sympathy review. The Twang are a young band with a limited range of material, not all of it terribly good. What they do have, though, are a number of very good songs and they ally this to an ability to manipulate an audience which belies their experience. In fact, there is something almost charming about singer Phil Etheridge's embarrassment when he introduces the wrong song. Any radio listener will be familiar with debut single "Wide Awake" and current single "Two Lovers" demonstrates their more tender side, but it is songs like "Push The Ghost" and "Ice Creame Sundae" which truly demonstrate the breadth of their range. Maybe it doesn't translate well to record, but it doesn't mean that the latent talent isn't there. Don't write the Twang off just yet, there's far more to them than the music press would have you believe.