The On Offs - 'This Town' (Fandango) Released 20/02/06

The On Offs’ dubious claim to fame is that they hail from Northampton, which is (not our words we assure you) ‘famous for brewing Carlsberg and making shoes.’ Now we’ve got that bombshell out of the way let’s cut to the music. Opener ‘This Town’ bounces along with a carefree vigour with tinges of The Jam permeating through it. Yet sadly somehow it just sounds too much like pub-rock for comfort, not helped along by some dodgy rhyming schemes. Thankfully, scouse flavoured ‘Grow Your Own’ is much better sounding like a hybrid of Shack and The Zutons with a healthy dose of breathy vocals and swirling guitars.