British, belligerent, bookish and a little bit brilliiant!
Bands named after curiosities from political history are hardly a new phenomenon. But it seems as though there are a plethora of them about at the moment (British Expeditionary Force and The Strange Death of Liberal England are two notable examples of this somewhat ‘bookish’ trend). It may strike some as a terribly self-indulgent concept, but naming yourself after the Official Secrets Act suggests a certain level of intellect and is indicative of a band who possess a breadth of influences which will be somewhat more divergent than those held by the likes of The Pigeon Detectives. Aptly described as an “eccentric yet erudite troupe of gentlemen”, there seems something quintessentially English about Official Secrets Act. Witty lyrical interplay is found in abundance in their work and their art-rock styling combined with spiky, edgy guitars reminiscent of XTC should mean that OSA find fervour with fans of the likes of The Young Knives and The Futureheads.
‘Victoria’ is a fantastically frantic, piano pounding number which impresses with its driving urgency and hook laden saccharine sweetness. It is short, sharp and to the point and is an awesomely catchy track which should catapult OSA into the mainstream. B-side ‘Sell, Sell, Sell’; is cut from an equally frenetic cloth as ‘Victoria’, a fuzz bass fuelled glam stompalong with some stupendously Wizzard-esque horns. With tunes of this calibre, OSA announce themselves as a band of great potential, who probably won’t remain a secret for too much longer.