Such is the apparent depth of Chris Brockbank’s devotion to all things Purple, he’s even named his band Mk V. A well-established barroom performer around his native Sydney, Brockbank’s influences are undeniable on this French label release – Jeff Morris’s chunky organ has Jon Lord’s fingerprints plastered all over it, and singer Steve Mulry channels both Dio and Gillan.
However, it’s Brockbank’s Blackmore-ish Strat and punchy songs that hit the spot hardest, even if So Clear seems to be auditioning for mid-period Rainbow and One O’Clock rather rewrites Speed King. They even get away, in 2017, with a song titled Keep On Rockin’ And Rollin’, which boogies exactly how you would expect it to.
But they won’t apologise for loving this kind of old-school hard rock, and you should be equally unashamed to lap it up.
