Album Review: Merry Hell - Blink... And You Miss It (Mrs Casey Records)

Formed from the ashes of Nineties cult band The Tansads, this new eight-piece rootsy folk rock outfit release their debut album in the same manner as the 'you know when you've been Tango'd' ad; surprising, direct and immediately felt. This exciting, no-nonsense approach to music making hits you immediately with a handful of crowd-pleasing anthems, thoughtful topical songs and one or two instantly melodic and memorable pop songs such as One More Day, guaranteed to bring a smile.

With a repertoire that's geared towards live performance, these studio selections have successfully captured that sort of immediacy. Whilst The Crooked Man provides a hard rock edge with a strong message that will no doubt resonate loud and clear in this current diabolical economic climate, Rosanna's Song and The Butcher and the Vegan take us in a different direction altogether with a couple of tender folk songs, the former a touching winter love song and the latter a modern ballad set in the unlikely setting of Burnham-on-Sea, all three songs from the pen of Virginia Kettle.   

Fronted by Virginia's brother-in-law Andrew Kettle whose distinctive voice provides the band with its gritty sound, the siblings-in-law are joined by brothers Bob and John (Virginia's hubby) together with Lee Goulding on keyboards, Tim Howard on guitar, Andrew Dawson on bass and Phill Knight on drums. Unfortunately, I blinked and missed this band at the Great British Folk Festival as they played in the next room to where I was sitting. With a Spiral Earth Best Band nomination under their belt, I will endeavour not to make the same mistake again and will catch them at my earliest convenience.