Not that it has any bearing on FINKA'S music, but your reviewer was immediately struck by their demo package because their press contact address is a place called Parbold, near Wigan in Central Lancashire. Scene of many a number of youthful days climbing hills, jumping canals, snaffling the odd illicit beer, peeing in the bushes and all that for this here writer. Cool. Never remember any decent bands from the locality though.
FINKA, though, have a good stab at the distinction. Yes, I know they'll get lumped in as "Manchester band" (it's pretty much inevitable unless you're going south from the area and towards St.Helens etc where generally the line of demarcation for "Scouse bands" roughly starts), but I notice most of the press interest in them so far is from the city and - on the basis of these three tracks - they're good enough to swim with the sharks.
I've heard names like Doves and Longview mentioned, and certainly opening track "I'll Spread The Word" is in the same vein. Big, windswept and anthemic, with fine vocals and plenty of harmonics. Better recorded, it would certainly be pretty formidable.
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I'm a bit less enamoured of "So What Now," the second track. Not that it's a turkey or anything, but it is the almost obligatory stab at 'doing a Coldplay' that most bands seem to have written in their CVs these days. Mind you, it does pick up a bit when the whole band slouch in about mid-way through.
Final track, "'45", though, is pretty urgent altogether. Driven along by furious guitars, spinning drums and an angsty vocal not that dissimilar to Thom Yorke in his early days, it's got a dash of dischord I can live with and again could be good on a slightly bigger budget.
It's early days for Finka yet, but while I do feel they've gotta watch they don't let their influences run roughshod over them, the three tunes on this demo EP are smart and well-played. Let's see where they go from here.
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