First, a brief history lesson. Scouse label Pink Moon was responsible for putting out records by three of Liverpool’s most under-rated indie bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s in The Da Vincis, Barbel and The Jactars. Paul Hemmings at the estimable Viper Label gave the world a glimpse of this legacy by including Barbel’s great “One Thing” on one of the “Liverpool Unearthed” compilations, but really the whole catalogue deserves a wider CD release in this humble hack’s opinion.
Brilliantly, though, Pink Moon has been re-activated thanks to the release of RATTLEBUS’S debut single “Freak Heirs”, and – certainly to these ears – it’s a joy to have them back. Anyone who’s out and about gigging on Merseyside may well already know they feature two former Da Vincis in Martin Ward (guitar/ vocals) and bassist Chris Stevens and are in effect the house band at the excellent ‘Hell’s Ditch’ roots-rock nights at the city’s Pilgrim venue, yet both these songs suggest it would be criminal if they were to remain simply local heroes to the discerning few.
Knowing the guys’ overall predeliction for tough, roots-y songs, I’d perhaps expected something a little different, but regardless of expectations these two tunes are a revelation. “Freak Heirs” is tremendous: gritty and exuberant rock’n’roll, built around effervescent guitars, Tim Glover and Martin Ward’s bug-eyed vocals, Steve Vasey’s keen drumming and Chris Stevens’ snaky bassline gliding through the grasslands of the melody. It’s spiky and exciting and while it reminds me a little of early That Petrol Emotion, it’s the Rattlebus sound first and foremost and it’s seriously addictive.
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Proper flipside (this being 7” vinyl) “Two Dinosaurs” is closer to typically recognisable Scouse pop with gloriously wonky vocals and one of those damnably great guitar hooks that slinks through the song (along the lines of The Stones’ “The Last Time”) and refuses to leave your synapses alone long after the track has finished. It’s another top-notch tune and worthy of the price of admission alone.
A fantastic return from some of Merseyside’s criminally overlooked talent and hopefully the first of many more. Marvellous.
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