Thursday 24/02/05 Selfish Kings @ Journeys, Cardiff

As a nation we are surrounded by sea, so it's only fair that our music moves in waves. The current being a second dose of Britpop, cascading our borders with a style and swagger that makes the Americans look pedestrian. Selfish Kings are somewhat of an accident band. Their origins began on the terraces of Cardiff City and with a shared interest in sports casual fashion and the mid-nineties sounds of The Verve, Oasis and The Charlatans. The bands fan-base has recently gone beyond Ninian Park and this has earned them a string of headline slots in small clubs across South Wales.

This was the bands first gig of 2005  and clearly it showed with a lack of timing and several beats missed, not that the crowd mattered as they sang along in a drunken state of euphoria. Vocalist Wayne Hay looked nervous and his initial deliveries were lacklustre and weak but as the set progressed he perfected his snarl to coincide with Lee Bryce's angular guitar shapes. 'Dakota' (note: not the new Stereophonics single!) turned up the volume a few notches and luckily the sound was loud enough to drown out some extremely loose playing and an inebriated crowd were unfazed. The tail-end of the setlist drew into the early hours of the morning and Selfish Kings began to unleash their trump card, 'Promises Promises', it bolstered proceedings ten fold and drummer Richard Webber finally found  the taut rhythms he'd been searching for all night.

As a band they are a frustrating prospect, a musical oxymoron. At times they are a tight unit that have the firepower to outstrip any newcomers with Noelrock riffs and an attitude that puts image conscious pap in it's place. Unfortunately, consistency isn't their friend and potentially rollicking tunes are extinguished with sodden anti climax. Love them for their unpredictability.