It is hardly unusual for a band to draw heavily from the sounds of the past for their inspiration but it is unusual, these days at least, for any band to attempt to duplicate anything that requires anything other than the merest modicum of skill. Glasgow’s Barbary Coast, to their credit, seem to have borrowed a book on eighties jazz funk flavoured pop for their four songs and made a convincing job of doing what the cool kids won’t.
Consequently, there is a light – like synthetic whipped cream, if you like – feel to the songs in “Dancefloor Casanova” with Craig Rodger sounding like he should be fronting a revival of, or perhaps a tribute to, Level 42 or Haircut 100. “November” rolls forward with apparent simplicity even if a careful listen soon reveals that Barbary Coast are far from underachievers and, to further reinforce their conviction, Jonathan Gormal decorates “Live for the Night” with his rhythm driven guitar work whilst tipping his hat to the greatness of the likes of Eric Gale.
The beat goes on and the message is clear. Work hard at what you do and people will take you seriously. Barbary Coast deserve to be taken seriously.
Their “Dancefloor Casanova” EP is available for download from Bandcamp.