The Sheffield Scenester

Having thoroughly enjoyed their EP launch night down at The Grapes last month, it seemed only fair that we check out the disc itself. The first thing that strikes you is the cover, for despite all their on stage antics, lead singer Denzil in particular, they do have a serious side to them. Plastered across the cover is what looks like a gallery of under nourished and beaten prisoners, then when you read the inside sleeve itself, it all makes sense as there is a banner advertising Amnesty International.

In fact the opening song, ‘Headlines’ only goes to showcase this more conscientious side to their songwriting as it tells the story of Neda Agha Soltani, the unwilling figurehead of Iran’s 2009 election revolutions. Considering she was killed in the midst of an anti government protest in Tehran, it doesn’t sound like cheery subject and in all honesty it doesn’t come across as fun, but it certainly is poetic I have to say. Repomen have dispensed with their usual catchy and bouncy rhythms, instead opting to take the more respectful yet touchingly restrained musical route befitting such a subject. Having seen the footage of her death it has to be said they have composed a fitting tribute by any standard and even though it is not in character with their usual fare this is easily the best track on the EP!

After that emotionally draining experience we have our spirits lifted as they are back to their old tricks with the track ‘Flicker’, a fast paced and slightly edgy number that happily races along. Throughout this Denzil’s vocals are riding up and down with the mood of the lyrics, each verse containing numerous references to some kind of surveillance with lines like “They got you on the CC”. During these he drops his voice into a darker, more sinister tone, and then during the near sickly sweet choral chant of “I know what’s going on with you” he raises his pitch to accommodate this near sarcastic chorus. As the track reaches its climax they introduce a horn section, who melodically plays us out at a complete tangent to the original tune, all in all great fun.

‘What We Do’ is the third track and opens with a bouncy pop influenced beat as Denzil seems to happily sing along, but beneath this superficial bubbly froth there is a less than subtle tale of state repression. Without even reading the press release it was obvious from the beginning that something wasn’t quite right here, as it turns out it concerns a certain South East Asian regime. He almost mocks them with his jovial approach to the subject matter, and takes the stance of the regime in question, namely sees life through the eyes of the oppressor whilst laughing in the face of the oppressed; still it makes for a spankingly good tune!

The final track on the EP is ‘Feed Me’ which opens with an almost windswept intro while the instruments are gradually introduced delicately and deliberately. This is a complete contrast to anything I have heard them play before, with vocals that progressively become less and less coherent as the music seems to take centre stage. It’s almost as if it’s depicting someone whose mental state is slowly being ground down; when I first heard it I got the impression that it was dealing with some kind of solitary confinement since that would slot in nicely with the general feel of the rest of the EP, and whilst I haven’t lost that thought I’m certainly open to suggestions as to its subject matter!

Overall an excellent EP with a lot to say for itself and the tunes to back them up as well, many who have seen Repomen live may be surprised at this studio interpretation of their work, I wouldn’t of thought they would be disappointed. Like most it is available for purchase from the band themselves at any live shows as well as downloading from iTunes which features two bonus tracks: a live version of “Parallel Schizophrenic” and a BBC session version of Magazine’s “A song from under the floorboards”