Album Review: The Professionals - "Snafu"

 

When the reformed version of the Professionals poked their heads back up above the parapet with 2017's What In The World it felt to my ears at least like a solid rather than a spectacular effort despite the good press it got. Perhaps not a massive surprise given that this incarnation of the group was still in its infancy at this point (with Paul Cook and Tom Spencer being the only full time members) and sounded a bit like they were still kind of getting used to each other. However, it had enough promise to suggest that with a bit of stability, better things would come along.

Album number two is now here and with the group going into it with an established line-up of bassist Toshi (ex-Hey Hello, Ga*Ga's, Slaves To Gravity and Antiproduct) and former 3 Colours Red/Grand Theft Audio man Chris McCormack on guitar (although the latter has since moved on again), you can tell that the group is growing in confidence and it makes for an enjoyable listen right from when the chugging riff of Easily Lead (which has a cheeky hint of You Really Got Me about it) kicks things off here.

Like its predecessor, Snafu is a workmanlike set of rock 'n' roll but the fact that this is a group that's now got the added comfort of three additional years of playing together is plain to see from the driving single Spike Me Baby and the sparky Punk Rock And A Hard Place and So No Go through the reflective M'Ashes and The Dark Art Of Falling Apart to the seething aggression of Only Human and the dark twisting riff of Consuminator which closes things here. I always seem to end up comparing the 21st century version of the Professionals to the Loyalties because of Tom's presence up front but even allowing for that, there's a definite similarity in terms of the everyman singalong quality of these songs - just listen to Never Say Never for proof. Mention definitely has to be made too of the production courtesy of Dave Draper (Wildhearts, Ryan Hamillton, Dead Sheeran and countless others) - he gives these songs a real power to punch through which helps to elevate this set up from being above average to pretty damn good.

If What In The World marked the new Professionals down as a work in progress with the band still in their formative stage then Snafu is proof that they've well and truly arrived - these songs will happily stick in your head and refuse to leave for days. Anthemic is an overused word in rock 'n' roll but it definitely applies to this set. Good stuff.

Buy from the official Professionals website

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