Late of the Pier’s introduction to the mainstream last month was likely to have caused one of two reactions. Either 'rush out and buy the album' excitement (if you’re under 21, easily swayed by hype and still possess an open mind) or dismissal along the lines of 'not another bunch of Klaxons clones' (if you’re over 21, averse to hype and bullishly cynical).
Well, they could have said ‘no thanks’, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, because Late of the Pier have conceived one of the most imaginative, ambitious debut albums of the year so far. Fantasy Black Channel is a glorious mess; an unrestrained, unclassifiable, unexpectedly triumphant romp through blaring influences and genres, from the 70s camp rock of Queen and Bowie to the primitive electronics of Gary Numan, with echoes of 90s computer games and snatches of modern house.
OK, so it’s probably best that they don’t make all their ideas public. With half the music-loving nation still grimacing at the unfortunate new rave reference, dodgy album-naming could be the equivalent of career suicide for Late of the Pier. All that remains to be said is this: just listen to the music.
Late of the Pier play the Arches, Glasgow on 2 Oct and Barrowlands, Glasgow on 17 Oct.
New single, Bathroom Gurgle, is released on 20 Oct.
Fantasy Black Channel is out now.