Source: EP Artwork
Tipped to be the new alt-rockers to burst onto the UK scene, Lady Jane’s Revenge release their debut EP 1554 on February 28th 2016 having been together since the beginning of 2015. Residing from the beautiful scenery of Cornwall, South West England, the four piece – featuring Billy Crook (Vocals), Sam Kent (Guitar), James Coffey (Bass), and Ash Jenkin (Drums) – produce an energetic alt-rock style with a couple of pretty obvious influences.
The EP features six tracks and opens with ‘Floodgates’. It’s kind of groovy and the rap rock nature of the vocal line instantly reminds us of Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The chorus is catchy and gives the listener an insight into a more melodic, yet still fitting, vocal style from Billy. There’s also quite an apparent influence from Incubus and this comes across very nicely in the penultimate track ‘PMA’. It’s more stripped back than earlier songs on the EP but it’s particularly uplifting, while also coming across as an emotional track.
The rhythm section of the band is obviously very tight and this shows in ‘The Kid Within’. A repetitive guitar riff that is supported and complimented by consistent performances on bass and drums. ‘Carbon’ and ‘Next Tuesday’ are the next two tracks and both give off an angsty vibe, which unfortunately gets a little bit whiney and dull – a word that really sums up the final track on the EP, ‘Sunny Side Up’. In fact, over the six tracks, we’ve found that we are often waiting for more to happen, a bit more creativity. Actually, surprisingly, we also found ourselves wanting to feel more energy from the tracks, which apart from the opener, many are definitely lacking. ‘PMA’ is a stand out track with the uplifting nature that has already been mentioned but none of the other tracks really resonated with us.
They lack some thought through creativity and also lack originality, which is why it has been so easy to associate their tracks with other bands – Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Incubus and also Alkaline Trio, for example. They do show potential, particularly in ‘Floodgates’ and ‘PMA’, but have a long way before they can compete with a very strong UK rock scene.
