Roe Sham Bo - 'Serotonin' (Bad Trip Recordings) Released 15/08/05

Opening this album with raucous pub-rock thrusting, grunting guitars and plenty of testosterone to spill - we're in for some stratocaster mayhem. With more than a nod and a wink to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, these Londoner's who can surely hold a tune and sing to boot are perhaps in need of some of the mood elevating serotonin they've named their album after.

It's bam bam bam throughout with flimsy and scrambled lyrics on close inspection, but moments were they veer, like on 'Hold My Hand' were it could just be The Byrds, perhaps...Then noise breaks on through and continues thus. They're no doubt expressive in their genre, with flourishes of penis extension guitar, not so much angry as frustrated. 'Another Day' is a crap song about nothing in particular, about frittering yer time, saying nothing. We could talk some more about this. I proscribe Mantra.

'Penny Real' fails to cut into one's affections of named persons the way 'Sweet Jane' or 'Angie' could, but played live could see bodies jumping and beer tossed airborne, "...I'm so scared to die...". 'Fool Tonight', where the songs anti-hero is in "...need of coke and sympathy...", the one perhaps negating the other for this troubled and addled soul, but with decent riffs and a song that shows another side and tempo of this otherwise poor album .