The Victorian English Gentlemens Club - 'The Victorian English Gentlemens Club' (Fantastic Plastic) Released 28/08/06

The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club – one of those preposterously pretentious names that are four syllables too long to repeat. That stench of student irony separates The Victorians (how they will be referred to for the remainder of my prose at least) out from other indie wannabes by the name alone. It’s a good job the music is so damn fine then. An appropriate introduction to the world of The Victorian’s with 'The Tales Of Hermit Mark'; 2.52 of post punk surrealness, with Adam’s vocals hitting high notes at seemingly random moments.

'Stupid As Wood' is as frenetic and quirky but with a catchy hook and infectious underpinning, as well as female counterpart’s Louise and Gemma chiming in whenever they get the urge.

It would be way too difficult to pin down their sound, but hey let’s try anyway. With The Slits playful creativeness, The Cure’s melancholic outlook and Gang Of Four’s angular energy and melodies The Victorians have a sound that is at one level endearingly odd, but at the same time as catchy as a straight up pop track. In fact the intro to 'My Son Spells Backwards' begins with an intro lifted from The Rakes’ 'Terror', but with the focus of the lyrics much more random. It seems The Victorians’ live in a make believe Enid Blyton Faraway Land where the mundane become the fantastical and vice versa.

There is no real idea of direction the tracks will take, some are so fast you may find yourself pogoing like its’ 1976 (when you probably weren’t even born, but go along with the analogy please). However you could soon find yourself suffering the indignity of not knowing when the fun’s going to end, and dancing in the wrong tempo as the track switches, or shock horror! Stops completely, and it invariably does, without warning. 'Amateur Man' had the potential to be consigned to the 80s influenced bin of David Bowie robotic vocals if it wasn’t for the fact they are above that, beginning with a wail and a chorus that sounds like a musical tourettes, topped with handclaps and sections  that are way  too fast or too loud. Or both, thus becoming another gem.