Dark Stares - Tell Your Friends
One thing that the UK has at the moment is an abundance of bands, all striving to crawl out of the dense mire of the pub support circuit, in an attempt to fly up to those increasingly hard-to-reach lofty heights of that 'next level' of media attention, wider recognition and bigger and better gigs. Looking at what Dark Stares have already achieved in their short career (and moreover without any official releases), the St Albans four-piece look to have their sights set on world domination, leaving the aforementioned mire far behind them.
Their first official release comes in form of four-track EP Tell Your Friends and is packed full of confidence, controlled clamour, and compelling character. Not sure about the “rock 'n' roll swagger” mentioned in the press release; stood next to AC/DC they'd sound wetter than a meeting at Incontinence Anonymous. But this isn't a pissing contest, and Dark Stares are clearly concentrating here on what they're good at, which is what makes them shine so brightly on this EP. Their brand of rock 'n' roll is crisp, modern, and drenched in an abundance of influences, from indie rock through to the subtle croons of Queens Of The Stoneage. In fact, their amalgamation of influences generates a genuinely powerful sound that is surely already beginning to turn heads nationwide.
Slicker than a seal in heat, Tell Your Friends is a cracking first effort, and is sure to win Dark Stares a lot more fans, and a lot more gigs. Having already played with the likes of The Darkness and Enter Shikari, time will tell if their own headline show can live up to the potential heard on this debut EP.