Taking a leaf out of the Joan Jett/Lita Ford school of chick rock, Cardiffbased Beth Blade and her Beautiful Disasters have done their homework. And they crowdfunded their debut album so successfully that they even got to record some of it at the famed Rockfield Studios, where the ghosts of some of Blade’s illustrious predecessors seeped out of the walls and into the grooves. It helps to raise a fairly standard set of rockers up several notches, aided by Blade’s straining vocals that add a sense of urgency, backing up the steady flow of guitar riffs. But it’s the power ballad Poster Girl For Pain that impresses most, with its original style and delivery. It augurs well for the future.
It’s all summed up on the final, autobiographical Legends Never Die, where Blade discovers her dream while watching MTV at the age of seven. Rock on girl.
