(Plus One)

Tried and true rock moves prove their point yet again

Lots of bands today (we don’t need to name them) have made no secret of their preference for the sheer drive and gutsiness of old-school rock. From the dungeons of Detroit to Aussie pub-rock, the template was laid down years before any of them was born. That the formula has changed so little and yet still sounds so natural in the hands of these young guns must say something for the enduring resilience of guitars turned up to cranky. Now Brisbane four-piece Black Mustang throw down their own take on it. They’ve acknowledged before that they are rock tragics and it sure shows on this debut album, virtually advertising their intentions in cuts like Back To The Future. They lay down a familiar barrage of no-nonsense guitar rock in a way that both instantaneously identifies their decades-old influences and serves notice that they’re not captive to them. You’d think we’d be over this kind of rampant retro-revelling, but from the Iggy-style stomp of You & I and the beery, bluesy 2 AM to the glam inclinations of The One, Black Mustang proves that the search for high energy, no-frills teenage kicks isn’t about to go out of fashion.

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BILL HOLDSWORTH

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