The Mutts: another kick in rock‘s side

Rock’s traditional dictum is rebellion, sporting a rousing streak to elevate youth spirits, a liberator of usurped sentiments, a healer and a dealer… Although the category seems to have been infiltrated by ‘made-to-measure’ bands whose only ambition and functions are charting and celeb-rating. And most of them appear to come from across the Atlantic. But, the opposition is brewing its anti-potion…

Just a commuter-slavery away, in the London Borough of Brighton, Sussex, it ain’t all fun-for-manmachines but an attention grabbing, soul-disturbing, counter-attitudinal, diss-reviving rocktastic noise. The Mutts, a quartet of straight rockers of the archetypal sort, re-introduces dreams that MC5, The Ramones, VU, as well as few Brit-bands of the 1960/‘70s, used to dispense.

The Mutts’ template is blues based rock - as practised by a proud pedigree of artisans from the Yardbirds via Thin Lizzy to the Black Crowes. It gets punky at times but never too heavy, or too poppy; it gets mellow in parts without turning into power-ballads but mid-paced bluesers that touch the parts so many have miss-located for years.

The band is fronted by a raw, rough, Paul Rogers-type of vocalist with a hint of Sir Mick Jagger-esque charisma potential: Chris Murtagh appears comfortable with confronting any-sized army of admirers… The supporting cast, musically speaking, is a monstrously capable group but too low-maintenance in the visual department.

Murtagh takes care of his appearance, distressed hairdo and the double-breasted high-collared peacoat, make him look like a perennial dandy of the Small Faces’ era. Alas, as Franz Ferdinand could lecture, music is about the width of lapels as it is about cravats… erm, pardon - about riffs, choruses and length. One of the outfit’s cuts on the forthcoming 6-tracker ‘The Mutts’ EP is entitled ‘Uniforms’ and yet - rebelling is a stylish business as The Rolling Stones’ ‘forty licks’ career vouches for.

The Mutts are the rock soldiers, the infantry of the genre, the backbone of teen-taste and hard at it. Furiously firing the chords, screaming in the night of the disfranchised, bringing certain amount of ‘effitude’ to the ears of the cosseted/eye-gratified/damn-dumbed. Few times the bass-driven melodies simply stomp all over us as they pump force with satanic grin on their mugs.

Artists crawl up the rungs everyday, all sexed-up for serving on a plate of disconnected and re-programmed to liquid soaps and realTVy… The Mutts reply with ‘Blasted’, ‘Shark’, ‘Gamma Life’… This Brighton four are as stormy as an autumnal night can be whilst warming our cockles up against the October chill like mulled wine.

Not so much a sound of disgruntlement - with “devil” permeating on few occasions - as a good-time music. They are so eager to play to ‘return’ for encore without actually leaving the stage… Rock on!

Tour dates (remaining):

29 October - Freebutt, Brighton [Live headline - FREE ENTRY]
09 November - Buffalo Bar, London [Artrocker night/headline]
17 November - Death Disco, London