Album Review: Wingmen - "Wingmen"

 

An album that’s definitely piqued our interest just through those involved in it, it’s fair to say that the Wingmen have quite the supergroup pedigree. Formed around the nucleus of the Sensible Gray Cells' rhythm section of Paul Gray (also of the Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods and UFO) on bass and Marty Love (also of Johnny Moped) on drums, also along for the ride are Stranglers frontman Baz Warne, Ruts DC guitarist Leigh Heggarty and Supergrass keyboard player Rob Coombes.

You can definitely hear elements of all of the group's parent bands in here but the key is that the Wingmen put enough of their own DNA in there to ensure that you'd never mistake this as an album of off-cuts. Second song The Last Cigarette (which follows the garage rock style opening instrumental Starting Blocks) is a case in point with elements of the Damned circa The Black Album or Strawberries and Supergrass in their more wistful moments (think Going Out or similar), a classic swirling organ sound that Dave Greenfield would probably give an approving nod to from that big pub up in the sky but enough of its own stamp to mark it out as something different.

Third track Louis Smoked The Bible definitely sees the Wingmen striking out on their own though - a sinister almost jazzy offering with the group locked in tight and Warne's ominous vocals (plus a nice duelling guitar solo between Warne and Heggarty) combining to make something pretty damn good. Brits could easily have been a Sensible Gray Cells song lyrically with a caustic look at the darker side of the "Little Englander" personality but with a driving piano-led rhythm which marks it apart, likewise I Would If I Could's scathing takedown of private healthcare which sounds like a heavier Elvis Costello - never a bad thing. Oh What A Carry On (a righteous slice of Brexit bashing which sounds like a poppier PIL) visits similar themes while the dark lead off single Down In A Hole looks at depression - this one definitely has identifiable hints of both the Stranglers and the Damned in it but it manages it in a way that it can stand up on its own and the sinister spoken word Mary Go Round might just be the strongest track on here with the group combining well and Warne's almost whispered vocals being a real stand-out. The dark and sinister stripped down It's Raining All Over England which closes things here is another highlight.

When it comes to supergroups, there's a lot of easy pitfalls to claim the unwary and it's to the Wingmen's credit that they haven't fallen into the trap of letting this be an ego-stroking exercise in indulgence. Although this album definitely wears its influences on its sleeve, the key is that the band are playing to their strengths as a unit rather than showing off what they can do as individuals. The result is a tight and enjoyable album with plenty of high points which comes highly recommended. 

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)