Nite Songs

  Time for the third part of our end of year countdown as we reach the Top 40. As always, feel free to cue up the old chart rundown music from Radio 1 if it helps enhance the experience for you... *** 40. WET LEG - "Wet Leg" Yes, it's easy to be cynical about Wet Leg but the truth is that when all's said and done they came up with a bit of a cracker for their debut album. It's quite simply fun music with a lot of the songs having an endearingly gleeful vitriol to them. Yet there's a serious undercurrent there as well with the likes of Wet Dream  and Piece Of Shit  having a genuine anger underpinning the playfulness. For once, a case of the hype being deserved. *** 39. KAE TEMPEST - "The Line Is A Curve" Kae's first album since coming out as gender neutral is all about seeking solace in tough times, be that their recent struggles or the recent struggles all of us have had thanks to lockdown etc. Backed up by lush orchestration and with Tempest...

  RT-Zed are the brainchild of Stiff Little Fingers drummer Steve Grantley and ZedNation  is their third album. I'd heard the band's name before this but not their music so I was interested to see how it bore up especially compared to Grantley's day job. The truth is that it's pretty damn good. ZedNation  essentially takes the classic '77 punk template (not least Grantley's Johnny Rotten influenced half-sneer-half-snarl) but drags it into the 21st century kicking and screaming with the tight energetic fury of Superfaker  and Don't Hit The Brakes Until You Crash  setting the band's stall out nicely. Elsewhere, the sinister feel of Black Heart Of Love  and Why Did I Even Care?  even see them dipping a toe into gothier waters, not unlike a heavier Flesh For Lulu. Elsewhere, the squalling guitars of Quiet Child  almost go into Stooges territory and Uncomplicated  even has a bit of a punked up rockabilly style feel to it before the closing Ain't G...