The Britrock boom of the mid-90s was mostly a chipper place to be. But even in that setting, where bands such as The Wildhearts were bringing the fun back to heavy music, Terrorvision’s Tony Wright stood out as the most cheerful frontman around. With his DayGlo personality and the band’s effervescent sound, he made Mr Tumble look like Philip Larkin.
After a break from music to pursue a career in dry stone walling, he returned with a solo album in 2014, and it clearly reignited his enthusiasm, as this crowdfunded new record fizzes with the faintly daft energy of old. He merrily throws out lines such as ‘If music is the food of love… rock on!’ with unbridled enthusiasm, taking in metallic freak-outs, melodic nods to his old band and, in A&E, spaghetti-western sounds along the way. Even in more downbeat moments, such as the lonely Lost Property, you sense a big fat silver lining to go with that cloud.
The album is no great work of art, but it’s a fun romp, and you’d have to be a sourpuss of Cruella De Vil proportions to not wish him well.
