The Spitfires: Response

Artist: The Spitfires
Title: Response
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 21st August 2015
Reviewed By: Quinn

The Spitfires deliver a blend of mod-rock, punk and ska with their debut album Response, that rivals that of their 80s counterparts. Billy Sullivan spits his lyrics out with the same ferocity as Weller and Strummer, backed by a band of passionate and talented musicians. This debut is going to see them climb further up at mod-rock ladder of respect...Though having already supported Paul Weller and The Specials, not to mention performing at Isle of White Festival, there is very little left for this band to do to earn that respect.

Response feels like the second or third release from a band that has years of writing experience and has finally honed their art to its natural and sought-after pique. It is masterful and expertly delivered, and presented in such a way that it almost dares the listener to remember that it's The Spitfires' first release. It's easy to put on and go about your business, and forget that you don't know the album as well as you think you might, because whilst listening to it, it feels as though it has been a part of your collection since you first started delving into the the UK's punk history.

Taking a fresh and intelligent look at modern day austerity and working class living, Response speaks to a generation of young people caught in the vice of an aged and wealthy retired class on one side, and a spiteful and vindictive Tory government on the other. With news of government plans to turn student maintenance grants into loans, and the ever growing number of young people finding themselves working in the service industry with £27,000 worth of loan debts hanging over their heads (for an education that isn't worth the paper it is printed on) this release couldn't have come at a better time. "Get a job and fight to keep it, get a degree but you'll never need it" echo the chorus of one of their poppier numbers, Stand Down. How very true.

The rest of the album is much of the same, social commentary delivered on a platter of inspiring rock'n'roll. Each track is distinctive in its own right, with the band exploring elements of a wide variety of genres from mod, punk, ska all the way through the last thirty-plus years of British musical history. My personal favourite is opening track Disciples, which delivers vintage, high octane and angsty mod-rock, using electric organs and group harmonies and double time drumming to invoke that sense of urgency and rush that raises the hairs on the back of your neck.

The album is littered with tracks like this, though they aren't afraid occasionally to take a more sombre approach and produce softer songs and musical interludes when they want to. This is both a strength and a weakness for them, because where the occasional ballad is often welcomed and enjoyed, there are times when I feel they may have over egged the pudding ever so slightly.  This is especially true of Spoke Too Soon which stretch to nearly seven minutes, and it's largely instrumental, or album closer 4am, coming in at just under six minutes long. They're not terrible songs: as with everything else on the album they are produced with a level of detail that any musician would be envious of. However, for the listener, it does knock you down more than a couple of pegs and sucks the adrenaline out of you.

That all comes down to personal preference however, and for me it doesn't quite sit right, but that doesn't mean the album as a whole doesn't work. It's a very fun record to listen to especially if you like variation in the style of tracks you're hearing.

If you're a fan of bands like The Jam or The Clash, pre-order this album now as you won't be disappointed in what is delivered to you at the end of August. Even if you're not and you prefer more contemporary indie music or Brit-pop, then this album won't let you down either. If you're young and angry at today's society and are looking for that one album to release all of your frustration onto, then look no further than Response. With it's blend of influences, angsty lyrics, hard hitting drums and raucous guitars with melodic overtones and organs and brass instruments thrown in for good measure, The Spitfires present an album that I hope will spark intrigue in new and old music fans alike, as well as launch their career as the voice of today's down-trodden and mistreated youth.