For High Wycombe’s Jettblack, the 80s never truly died, and with their second album, they ride in on a cloud of testosterone, hairspray and knocked-off Skid Row riffs.
The problem is, they’re not quite good enough to stand alongside their influences, and not quite bad enough to be believably tongue-in-cheek. So while the likes of Steel Panther keep the guilty giggles coming at a rate of knots, it’s unclear whether the horrible, clichéd lyrics of Raining Rock’s title track are supposed to be a joke or not.
Meanwhile, Prison Of Love raids Whitesnake’s recycling bin before the foxes get to it, and in Something About This Girl, silver-tongued frontman Will Stapleton details one lucky lady’s lack of beauty, imperfect body, humourlessness and financial failings before concluding that he probably would anyway. Let’s have a look at you then, Johnny fucking Depp.
If there was any real sense of wit at play, this would all be forgivable. As it is, Jettblack are simply reanimating the very worst aspects of a dead decade.
