Category: Reviews

If you’re a fan of the shouty aggro of the likes of Slaves, but want some female vocals to go with the no-frills style, then have a listen to Brighton trio Lazybones, and their debut single,’Snake’ – featuring Candi on vox and organ, Joe on bass and Sam on drums.

On the surface, the sound of ‘Snake’ is much like Slaves, or Idles: over-driven, raw and raucous – deriving its power largely from Candi’s gritty singing style and Sam’s percussion. But underneath that, Lazybones’ secret weapon is the deceptively complex fretwork from Joe’s bass guitar and the underlying hum and whirl of that organ.

By the time the bridge arrives, with all the noise and intensity that it brings, the band that you’ll most be thinking of is DFA 1979. It’s that bass-led sound that really comes through after multiple listens to the song, which also bears comparison to some of Deap Vally’s harder-edged tunes. In terms of influences, Lazybones cite the likes of Black Sabbath and Sex Pistols, but it’s their nod to Chas & Dave that seems to demonstrate where their fondness for a succinct rhyming couplet comes from.

The band, in reference to their name, say they’ve been called “lazy for not getting a guitar player”. But, if anything, the video for ‘Snake’ tells a different story – with its commitment to a ’90s bowling alley aesthetic, achieved by playing hand-drawn animations on CRT TVs and recording the images on a VHS camcorder. And that’s true of the band’s sound too – combining wit, artistry, and plenty of venom, Lazybones have got the muscle, but they’ve also got the brains.

Catchy Lazybones live in Brighton on 22nd December at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego