Pop-rock
Matt Lucas and David Walliams have a lot to answer for. By unleashing Vicky Pollard upon the nation, they inadvertently created an entire sub-culture of young women who boast, with no trace of irony, of being the character incarnate. Their cross-dressing, mentally unhinged characters have provided drunken students with the resounding catch phrases, “I'm a laayyyddeee!” and “Ahuhhuhh!” which get funnier each time they are slurred. Oh, and they also created the blueprint for Catherine Tate's entire career.
In addition to these cardinal sins, Little Britain has also rendered it impossible to listen to Attic Lights' update of the classic Minder soundtrack 'I Could Be So Good For You' without collapsing into paroxysms of laughter at the memory of the Dennis Waterman sketches, in which the diminutive actor asks his agent for a TV gig that allows him to, “write the feem toon, sing the feem toon...”
If the listener wasn't deafened by their own laughter, then they would hear that the jaunty old piano power ballad has been given a pop-rock overhaul, with inventive guitar riffs inserted at appropriate intervals, tighter harmonies than the original and a magnificently ridiculous 'phaser' solo all delivered in a frenzied and frivolous fashion. Recorded for the new series of Minder currently screening on Channel 5, this version improves upon the original and then some.
Luckily the Glaswegian pop quintet include a B-side which does not invoke such guffawing; 'Late Night Sunshine' is a lazy sunshine-stomper that has vocal harmonies redolent of Teenage Fanclub and sports a glorious chorus complete with faux-American accents that somehow manage not to sound contrived.
Both songs sit equally alongside each other in the category of good old Friday night fun; now, it's a sure bet that Attic Lights would rather be critically acclaimed for their own compositions rather than revamping classic TV theme tunes, yet it's comforting to know that they have a fall-back plan if Happy Days ever comes a-calling.