Kidd A

This is the review from this week's Nightshift.  There's also a Peerless Pirates interview, but here it is if you don't have time to go and read the magazine.

That Nightshift Interview In Full

Nightshift: What annoys you, Peerless Pirates?

Peerless Pirates: Everybody claiming we’re pirates.

Nightshift: Well, you call yourself pirates.  And you're dressed as pirates.  And all your songs are about pirates.  Except for that one that was actually written by pirates.  In fact, the one single non-pirate thing about you is the fact that you sound just like The Smiths.

Peerless Pirates: Ah, now that brings us onto our second point.,,

 (Cont on p94)

PEERLESS PIRATES – Peerless Pirates (Pirate Music)

Peerless Pirates are doubtless one of the county’s foremost good time bands, and many a staid local scenester has been seen throwing some unattractive shapes to their high-octane indie shanty bounce, sacrificing dignity in the cause of buccaneering bacchanalia.  Listing to this album, though, brings out the subtler side of their work.  Just a scan of the titles throws up some words that you wouldn’t find in the mouths of your average party combo: gallantry, palaver, gauntlet, moratorium.  This excellent record is stuffed with light, eloquent fop pop that puts these pirates closer to Guybrush Threepwood than Bluebeard.  Much has been made of the band’s Smiths influence, but aside from a bit of Morrissey phrasing, such as the “Hand In Glove” shaped outro to “The Greatest Explorer On Earth”, Salford’s passive-aggressive princeling is best reflected in the fact that this record seems improbably arch and theatrical whilst it still exhibits an everyman earthiness which tugs at the hindbrain.

A lot of care has been taken to ensure the songs do not run together into a generic chug, and there are some nicely varied textures and rhythms, especially from Kyle Mundy’s guitar, which throws out Duane Eddy tremolo and Dick Dale depth charges on “Your Grace”, Runrig stadium clarions on “High Seas Love Affair” and – yep – Johnny Marr shimmers on “The Ghost of Captain Kidd”.  Fans may miss the chipotle tang of recent single “El Gringo” from the tracklist, but the searing live favourite “Bring Out Your Dead” is there to sweeten the absence, before the record ends with a proper traditional shanty knees up.  What shall we do with the sober sailor?  Play him this album, and he’ll be hanging from the tavern light fittings, swigging back the rotgut and making good-natured romantic lunges at potboys and bar wenches alike before track 4 is out.