I am sure that there is some pundit out there who will say that indie rock will never die and he – it will, inevitably, be a he – will declare that Manchester’s Puppet Rebellion are proof of the genre’s immortality.
Certainly, the songs of “Chemical Friends” are designed to make an impact on you with no shortage of singalong choruses that could easily induce a beer soaked frenzy amongst the Friday night crowd in basements of bars throughout this sceptered land. It is also true, however, that there is precious little in the way of subtlety here either with each song favouring maximum loudness over anything else.
Is this a really a bad thing though? It’s horses for courses really. In the right environment then these twelve songs will make your night and Oliver Davies has the voice to stay on top of the songs and it is also entirely reasonable to say that he does so with some notable style.
The cynical amongst you may therefore simply dismiss Puppet Rebellion as just another indie rock band but “Chemical Friends” has enough moments to suggest that the band have what it takes to step out from the shadows.
Best song for your phone playlist – “Slave”.