Audio Bullys Review
The Audio Bullys remind me of a kind of urban version of the Pet Shop Boys. I think it's the whole two-men/passive voice/random chat thing they've got going on. But by all means don't go thinking this is going to sound like an eighties pet shop boys compilation because it certainly doesn't!
Audio Bullys are 22 and 24 year old Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale and have already broken into the charts with We don't care' and current single, The Things'. This album entitle Ego War' is fresh from the London suburbs and represents a fine and totally diverse mix of urban flavours.
100 million' employs cheeky geezer like vocals very similar to the style of The Streets', laid over a catchy upbeat bass line and spiced up with the subtle sound of the saxophone.
My favourite track, The Snow' has this kind of carnival-like quality and ska flavour paralled with a pumping housey beat. Another catchy track, Ego War' utilises a jumpy digital sounding beat fuelled by suburban political banter.
Turned Away', the B-side to the single, The Things' has an eerie kind of feel to it with gentle accordion infusions and sublime laddish vocals. Face in a cloud' has a really punky feel to it and a soft slow garage beat and Madness-like vocals.
Overall I'm really impressed by this creation. Audio Bullys are definitely on a similar par with The Streets with honest lyrical flair, high energy beats and such diverse influences from the likes of punk to ska blended in with the sounds of everyday house and garage. This sort of music is clearly making a mark in urban sound. However it's the sort of stuff that would completely lose its appeal if commercialised in the way that garage music was. Fingers crossed that it will only be left to the experts to develop.
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