The Victorian English Gentlemens Club ��
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club claim that the title of their latest single was not only inspired by their own experiences of the small country while on tour in Europe, but also by a Belgian man who blamed his own suicide on boredom. With this theme in mind, one might expect a very dark and melancholy track from the Cardiff-based group with the third single taken from their most recent album ‘Love on an Oil Rig’. However, while this song is slightly less upbeat than their last single ‘Watching the Burglars’, it is far from unlikeable.
The track begins with a “la-la-la” female vocal melody sung over a menacing bass line that dominates the verse, giving the song an eerie tone from the start. However, it brightens up at the chorus, when Adam Taylor’s tunefully shouted vocals, combined with the clear female background singing, produce a sound that vaguely resembles the Pixies. But despite similarities to Frank Black’s American alternative rockers, The Victorian English Gentlemens Club have written a song with much more of an English punk rock feel to it, while also maintaining the arty sound that they have become known for in recent months. The crashing cymbals and frenzied rock at the climax of the chorus help to make this an enjoyable listen for most indie music fans.
On B-side ‘The Woodsmen’, The V.E.G. Club use chaotic guitar and warbling vocals to go for a more basic punk rock style that's somewhat reminiscent of The Dead Kennedys. Track 3 is a slowed down version of the A-side entitled ‘Bored to Death in Belgium’, in which bassist Louise Mason takes over on lead vocals for a much darker rendition that makes the original sound positively cheerful.