If I made a list of things I knew about the coastal town of Portsmouth, it would be pretty short. That fat bloke with loads of tattoos who rings his bell at Portsmouth football club, the A3, a port……Roger Hodgson of Supertramp was born there (actually I looked that last one up on Wikipedia- i’d run out) but now not only do I know about, but I’m genuinely excited about The Planes.
This four piece, born and bred in the city, or is it an Island (ok yes, I read the whole article) are led by the Smith twins, Mike and Chris, along with Sam Wardle and Ollie Shaw and have been playing all over the South Coast as well as scoring undercard slots on the clubNME shows. They’ve recorded (and re-recorded) a handful of tracks for release, coming out on an iTunes near you on January 20th, entitled On Demand.
I don’t want to tar The Planes with a fate that might cause pop-journalist wrath, but it certainly has elements from the Kooks school of catchy Indie, with maybe a splash of Britpop colour, and embers of The Jam (really-listen carefully). But it’s very good. First track See you next Tuesday (work it out…..) is a blistering start, all driving rhythms and no little attitude, regaling us boys with tales of being led along the garden path by a member of the opposite sex.
Second track on the ep is another singalong number ‘Lose it’ with the drums driving on, and featuring some stones like rhythm guitar in the background, with little changes in feel, keeping the interest. Again, tales of love and everyday life feature ‘You’re afraid to lose it, the way she acts ain’t human’ summing up that feeling of being given the runaround by the object of your affections.
Next up is title track On Demand, which runs See you next Tuesday close for the best track on the EP. Another bright number with chiming guitars that drive on a harmony laden number that brings a smile to your face. The final track is Stay the weekend, a slight change of feel that shows the Planes are able to adapt and keep things interesting. Yes, they might be everyday tales of teenage life and loves, but doesn’t everyone want to be a teenager just once in a while…..?
If they continue on this track, The Planes are going to be very special, and everybody will be able to name one more thing from Portsmouth.
