Laddish enjoyable rock.
Dogs are busy little boys, for most of the year they've been racing up and down the country playing their music and with an other tour lined up for June with festival performances to follow you wonder if they ever take a break. Their sets have been viewed with mixed feelings on Room Thirteen at times impressing; at others leaving the feeling that they offer nothing new, whilst still being relatively good.
And that's kind-of the overriding impression of the 'Dirty Little Shop' single.
The lead track has a great guitar and bass interplay as its opening and when the vocals come in, there's a sense of menace and excitement. Johnny Cooke may sound like a committee-decided mix of Rotten, Weller and every other laddish punky hero from the past 30 years but he carries it off well, you get the impression that Dogs believe in what they're saying.
The song works because of the restraint shown at times which allows the moments when the song kicks in to really excel and stand out. "The coldest place in the betting shop is beside the bin, you lost the lot" is a great line that says nothing but says it all in one self-contained moment and it's the sense of struggle and fight that comes through from Dogs.
Another good single from the band but again, it just doesn't do enough to elevate them to the level of the band you would kill to see but they are a very commendable support or festival addition.