If you like loud, lairy, balls to the wall, four to the floor, rock and frickin’ roll, you're in for a treat.  

As one of the Southwest’s most popular live bands, Crooked Little Sons have spent the last 10 years winning over crowds across the UK & EU, drip-feeding singles for what seems like a lifetime. Now, finally (cue fanfare), the day has come for them to release their debut album Regenerate, a collection of good old fashioned crowd pleasers that you know will work even better in a live setting. 

They plough the same successful furrow as other bands that straddle the punk / blues / rock n’ roll scene, The Hives, The Computers and even Motorhead spring to mind but CLS manage to stand on their own, having made a solid name for themselves on the Southwest scene where its residents have welcomed them with open arms over the past decade.  

The album starts at breakneck pace with ‘The Young Eat the Old’, a cracking track that sees ZZ TOP duelling with Dead Kennedys, the attack just doesn't let up, an ideal album opener! By the time you've hit track number three, the numerically named '77', you’re familiar with the journey you're being taken on, and potentially the year the album is taking you back to. The track ‘77’ itself is reminiscent of the aggressive garage rock that the Sex Pistols passed off as ‘punk’ back in their short, phlegm-soaked heyday. ‘What The Hell Happened to Nancy’ has a great breakdown which left me looking forward to it being performed live, the ‘Nancy’ presumably referencing Spungen (of Sid n’ Nancy fame), not Sinatra, Reagan or even Drew (older fans of the femme hero will know what I’m barking on about!). ‘Lungs’ stinks of classic Thin Lizzy, with its bluesy riff whilst ‘Don't Start with Me’ is basically Johnny B. Goode remixed from the 1958 original and sprinkled with a liberal dose of CLS dancing dust.  

My favourite, due in part to the additional nuance of a fantastic keyboard element is ‘Sarah Street’ which channels the ghost of Jerry Lee Lewis with an all-out vocal assault which conjures a young Robert Plant (listen and you’ll see what I mean) magnificently. All in all, a solid debut for fans of Jonny Cash, The Anti Nowhere League, Thin Lizzy or anything that stands on a podium and screams rock n’ roll through the speakers at you until you start to move! 

Regenerate was recorded with Fred Ansell (The Computers) and will be released via Rare Vitamin Records on vinyl, CD, minidisc and limited-edition wax cylinder on Friday 15th March. Pre-order it NOW to avoid missing out.

Review by Dickie Dunn