The Strange Boys
ICA, London
21/04/2010

“I guess you guys aren’t ready for that, yet… but your kids are gonna love it”. Don’t speak too soon Marty McFly, as The Strange Boys grassroots rockabilly, complete with Chuck Berry-esque licks and whirls, seemed to hold the attention as much for London’s ICA audience as it did for those bopping teenagers at Hill Valley High School.
 
A skiffle revival is well and truly on its way, so it’s a shame that a band as stripped-down, rickety yet soulful as this aren’t faced with sweating, swinging crowds of people hanging from the rafters, as that’s certainly the feel of the music. It’s back to basics rock; grubby riffs scratching around at a ramshackle drum kit that slaps along to a gleaming melody. It’s The Libertines with the punk and pompousness removed, a very honest sound, and with it comes a vocal so raw, so blunt it overwhelms the venue.
 
It may all be, however, a tad deadpan for most people; there’s little in the way of theatrics in what they do, which to some make this band, now on their second record, even more exciting. That’s not to say the lads aren’t polite on stage, just more Kings Of Leon than Killers. When they speak it’s for a reason, when they engage the audience it’s because they need to, and when they tear their fingers down their Telecasters, it’s with intent. As it stands it’s The Beatles circa 1958, and though we’re not expecting it to develop much from there, it’s a snapshot of guitar music in one of its simplest forms… and Great Scott, they can really pull it off.

Alex Lee Thomson