Some bands get more attention than they could ever claim to deserve. Others seem to fall by the wayside. Such is life.
It’s hardly P45 time for Sheffield’s best new band, but having been poised to gatecrash the mainstream at the start of the year, the Little Man Tate juggernaut has come to a crashing halt. Previous single Sexy In Latin scraped into the Top Twenty: a great result, and their biggest hit so far. But then the album About What You Know came out and sank without trace, barely denting the Top Thirty. It’s disappointing- sure, chart success isn’t everything, but OMH has followed these lads from their debut single, and rarely does a band come along with so many potential hits under their belt.
The album is chock-full of the kind of pop classics that Ricky Wilson could only dream of writing, and this lovelorn anthem is a prime example. Slightly hampered by its similarity to the Arctic Monkeys’ Mardy Bum, it probably won’t stop the tribute-band snides. Which is a shame, as this is storytelling pop at its best, with lines like "you weren’t the first girl that I ever kissed with tongues/ But you were the best, you let me touch your chest" worthy of Cocker, Skinner or indeed Turner. If only the record company would promote them a bit more...
A star-studded video (well, featuring Nana from the Royle Family, asleep) suggests the men in suits may have caught on, and this could finally get them some of the recognition they deserve. It’s a start, at least. Alternatively, it’ll just be overshadowed by the Arctics’ comeback. Such is life.
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