They’ve opened for The Raveonettes, Moving Units, The Kills, Bloc Party, and OK Go. They grew up listening to Run DMC, Public Enemy, The Cure, Prince and Depeche Mode. One of them has appeared on a Chemical Brothers track. One of them hasn’t released a record since they were a 20-year old rapper in the early nineties and one of them is also known as DJ Adam 12. They were signed (not quite from nowhere) by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst to his Geffen Records label imprint, Flawless Records and the Johnny Cash actor, Joaquin Phoenix is directing their video.
When they’re not tirelessly seeking acceptance from the media and performing all sorts of feats to get noticed, they’re called ‘She Wants Revenge’ – and their debut album, ‘She Wants Revenge’ is out now.
What marks them out from the usual static of the current eighties blitzkrieg? Well any of the above really. It’s certainly not their Depeche Mode snare steals or the cold, chaffing chops of their Joy Division guitars or, for that matter, their highly theatrical gothic fashion aspirations and pale Bauhaus chic. ‘Red Flags and Long Nights’ sounds great, though, doesn’t it? The robotic drum patterns, the one note bass playing, the classic Phil Oakey monotone delivery. Same with ‘These Things’. Same with ‘I Don’t Want To Fall In Love’. Same with ‘Out Of Control’. Same with ‘Sister’. Especially with ‘Sister’. I could go on.
Whilst there’s much fun to be had with all the weird-sex freakery of the lyrical bent, the whole studied delivery of the project borders on parody. Stylistically it’s as sound as a pound, but unlike fellow neu-romancers, Fischerspooner there’s a failure to bring it back to the future.
People who missed all this first time around are likely to moonwalk, alf or do the Robert Smith in approval. The rest of us are likely to stare blankly and pile on the mascara.
Not great then. Not great now. But it’s reasonable, I guess.