ninehertz

After early hardcore influences had made way for a love of blues rock, and the excellent Blackrock (who notably had John Garcia join them onstage at one particular London gig) had called it a day, came Old Basford, a three-piece Nottingham-based 'stoner' blues band. As the unimaginative title suggests, this is their second demo to be released, and comes in rather fancy packaging (to go with their rather suave website).

This three-tracker kicks off with a mighty bellow of 'Fe Fi Fo Fi Fum' (on 'Cruel Love') leading into a fast and heavy guitar riff, which grabs the attention immediately. Yet less than a minute later, you begin to realise that the riotous entrance is rather deceptive. The vocals switch from bellow to high-pitched singing, and the resulting mood turns to a sexy swagger and melodic groove, which continues for the rest of the demo. The lyrics only serve to accentuate the feeling - verses of love, sex and romance raise a smile throughout.

Old Basford appear to have the soul of 70's blues rock bands such as The Groundhogs or Budgie at the heart of their creative output, and that is no bad thing.