They don’t half mind talking politics north of Hadrian’s Wall, but few Scots manage to mix it with scorching rock and roll like this crew. “Dangerous Minds” is the third Media Whores album since they formed in 2008 and sounds exactly like its title warns.
Pointed and to the point, The Media Whores don’t embrace lyrical subtlety. They attack subjects like fracking (“Frack Off”), cybersex (“Computer Love Affair”), materialism (“Zombies of Mayfair”), crooked cops (“Raking It In”) and all parts in-between with zealous glee. Musically, they run the gamut from hard-edged, new wave pop to punk rock.
The jagged riffs of “Do You Think I’m Lying” sound like Sabbath sped up by a factor of five with the Heartbreakers hot on their tails before the chorus kicks in. There’s a warped reference to The Associaiton's 1967 hit "Windy" on “Raking It In” and it’s very cool. Jimbo Alexander’s guitar turns all PiL-like in parts (notably on “Zombies”) while Doogie Mackie’s fluidly expressive bass-lines kick-start more than a couple of the tunes. His playing is a real stand-out.
“You Can’t Win” sounds vaguely like the keyboards-flecked pop that Australia’s Mi-Sex used to peddle in the ‘80s but with more guitar grit in its gullet. Insipid, it is not. “Vinyl Head” borders on the evangelical but there’s no arguing with the turn-back-the-clock sentiment and its defence of rock and roll. The ear-wig guitar figure and jagged lead-break are bonuses.
There’s a lot to love about the way this band picks a subject and wades in fearlessly like a Glasgow bouncer sorting out an out-of-control mosh-pit. Of course it would all fall flat if they didn’t rock. It doesn't and they do.
Frotnman-rhythm guitarist Craig Anderson’s distinctive vocal has more front than a Scots secessionist after Brexit Day and he’s not short of wit either. His best line comes early in “Can’t Say Whore On The Radio” and goes: “You can’t say whore on the radio but you can whore yourself from 9 to 5.”
This record’s a rocking punk-pop ride from go to whoa but has no added sugar or MSG so you won’t wake up feeling gluey the next morning. As Kerry Packer once told the cricket establishment: “There is a little bit of the whore in all of us, gentlemen. What is your price?” For these guys, about 12 quid and you can spend it here.
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