Twisted Wheel - Twisted Wheel

Eponymous debut provides serious punk-a-long promise

Northern three-piece Twisted Wheel have finally released their self titled debut album following on from a little heard 5 track LP in July last year. Despite a scathing review from NME, whose main problem with the band seems to be that they were given a vote of confidence from Liam Gallagher, which is admitably rather like having your ex-rocker uncle turning up at your gigs), these guys have done their time on the gigging circuit and are finally reaping the rewards with a solid album of songs that owe more than a passing nod to the punk rock 70s giants.

Listening to the opening track, ‘Lucy The Castle’, you could be forgiven for thinking that you'd accidentally put The Jam on instead. Punchy and in your face with a toe-tapping drumbeat it's a great start to the album. Followed by the too-short anthem ‘She's A Weapon’, it all seems to be shaping up nicely. Unfortunately, by striving for variety, the Wheel have come up with ‘We Are Us’ and ‘Strife’, slower, Brit-rock style songs, which sandwiched between faster, punkier tracks, show creaking weaknesses in lyrical ability. Their attempts on social commentary are at best unenlightening and nothing we haven't heard before.

Having said that ‘Let Them Have It All’, gets the second half of the album back on track. With definite influence taken from happy-go-lucky indie sounds, this is a fierce, upbeat tune with dancefloor potential and an overcharged middle solo. Twisted Wheel are at their best when not trying so hard, pounding guitars and lyrics that you don't so much sing-a-long to, as shout and scream, the anthems of ‘She's A Weapon and You Stole The Sun’, are real belters.

Twisted Wheel deliver gutsy, punky, rock and roll with some genuinely good songs. It may not be about to start a musical revolution but it'll get you stomping your feet

A.O.