As evidenced by the album cover note itself, which says : MEDWAY, The Bresslaws are literally wearing their influences on their sleeves, being “imprisoned” knee-deep in their geographical origin and it’s musical heritage, as also heard right from the very opening instrumental title tune.
The following is a pair of familiar riff-sploatation with Machine Gun Bobby being a punked up Can’t Explain and Backfist Baby borrows the “sonic” one from The Witch, and while we’re at it, they also cover another one from The Sonics’ repertoire, which is Have Love Will Travel, and there’s also Don’t Walk Away which throws in another Richard Berry-like riff set, combining it with some late Small Faces Hammond organ-isation.
People Get Ready and Won’t You Tell Me are a powerhouse pair of pure Medway essence, Little Johnny Clay is genuine British “madness”, which is pretty close where Captain Fantastic (previously issued on single) falls, with an additional garagey crunch, A No Good Woman seems like it might’ve been influenced by an other (action) woman, while In Love is a cover of an old Northern Soul fave by Tony Galla, appropriately followed by Lies, which is another punker that fits into the contemporary version of the same genre.
As they put it themselves, The Bresslawas are “a bunch of mods playing in a garage band”, fronted by the local vicar (!?) (and former “John” of The Beatles tribute band The Bootles), “preaching” the usual Medway sounds.
[Released Biff Bang Pow! 2006]
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