Right then, it's been a while since I've posted, but I've been busy and haven't had great internet access... Well, yeah, it's no excuse but whatever. Good news in that
ripway have doubled my bandwidth limit, so I haven't had any trouble recently. Anyway, the band today isn't strictly foreign BUT some people consider Lincolnshire another country and frankly I want to give these guys a shout for two reasons:
1. They come from Grimsby, and I went to school there for a while and, as much as it pains me to say this, I've grown to like the place and support the football team.
2. They're actually pretty good and have signed an album deal.
Who are these elusive musicians then? Orphan Boy, the band that sounds strangely similar to The Libertines and takes influences from all over the place. They've got some funny songs, some that are more serious in an Arctic Monkeys sort of way (British social scene... Binges). One their site they say they sound like "Nancy Sinatra being raped by the Gang Of Four". Um, yeah, sure guys, calm down! The first of their songs which I'm going to present is "The Great British Sitcom". This is where you're supposed to feel a warmth rising inside you as you realise that you are going to listen to a band which has been frightfully ignored for quite long and yet has the talent and ability to do very well indeed (as do many others out there). Of course they're not The new Beetles but they certainly are nice enough to pass the time. Ah yes, the song. Now, the beginning is worryingly similar to Fallout Boy's "Dance" with the drums starting the beat but never fear, for the fashionably rough-sounding guitar soon kicks in and immediately any doubt about the origins of this song soon fades away: oh yes, this is from "the North", that foreign land to so many Southerners. I particularly like the bass, and there are moments where I think to myself "hoi! This is The Fall!" but that can only be a good thing.
Orphan Boy - The Great British SitcomThe band's first gig was actually with Clash-man Mick Jones, and the band's name actually comes from one of the members (Smiffy) playing on his lonesome, therefore being the Orphan Boy. Somewhere along the line it stuck though, and that was that. Anyway, "Got Plenty" is the song you'll hear immediately if you go on their
site, which means I can assume that this is their "hit". To be honest, it's not the best tune in the world, especially the almost forced guitar solos. And yet, there is a nice feel to it nonetheless. Then again, this is a live recording and I can't promise that this'd sound anything like it on a CD. The 300 records they're selling have pretty-much sold out I believe, even though it hasn't even been released yet. They are minor legends in Grimsby so it doesn't surprise me one bit!
Orphan Boy - Got Plenty Ask a member of the band what the songs are all about, and you're answer will be
"Lovers and loudmouths, hooligans and humanoids, digital boys and digital girls, creepy old men lurking around in graveyards and tracksuit wearing tricksters flogging vouchers at the pawn-shop. Stuff like that. Not just characters, but stories, emotions, opinions, rants and roams off the beaten track, where the lyrics aren't signposted and the words run pretty and untame. Keep it cryptic and you'll do fine. But never rhyme baby with maybe." What the Hell does that mean? Well, apart from the words of wisdom at the end (which Oasis really should follow)he's telling us that Orphan Boy is an honest band that doesn't go around singing about stuff it has never experienced or at least seen. I'm sure you could think of numerous other bands that do for me though...
And now comes "Birthday", one of their slower songs, just to show that they can do something else as well. I love this song, it's got a very nice ballad-feel to it and coming from a band like theirs, that's quite rare. Add to that the fact that he plays the harmonica in it, and you've just got an ace song. Not much else to say about that really, this is going into my "all-time classics" folder (well, it would if I had one).
It's your birthday todaaaaaaay Orphan Boy - BirthdayHave a good'un and please, if they ever break through, buy their album. You won't be disappointed!
