Red Vixen 2016
London ladies live it like they give it: every minute to to the limit.
Hard to say whether this quartet heard of Riot Grrrls or Suzi Q, but in terms of glitter, anger and energy they’re as good as the old guard. There’s a feisty, infectious stomp to the band’s debut album that transcends teenage drama one could expect from Sam and Shelley Walker who take “Sisters” beyond a family link to elevate it to a feminist anthem – lyrical yet insistent – and turn the chores of “Work” into a rhythm fest.
Although the mighty groove of “Live Rock ānā Roll” may point to a wishful thinking sort of incentive, the group’s sincerity and bravado leave no doubt they’ll get there sooner rather than later, and the bluesy swagger in “Going Down” demonstrates the girls’ intent in the best way possible. While the country-tinged “Running Away” and “Seeds Of Summer” are where jagged pop edge and alt. sweetness come into play, arena-teasing cuts like “Dragon In The Sky” will appeal to aficionados of “hard to get” sensibility, what with the title track’s joie de vivre bouncing off a solid hard rock wall of guitars.
So if “Peace Of Mind” seems soft in the beginning, it swells with emotions which provide the ride of life and reveal a genuine depth to the group’s music for this finale of their start to signal the arrival of a force to be reckoned with.
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