Harking back to the days when songs were only just over two minutes long and raced along, cramming in as much as possible with guitars playing just the three obligatory chords, the debut album by
the Pigeon Detectives,
Wait for Me arrived at the end of May 2007 on the independent Leeds based record label Dance to the Music. Entering the charts at number three, the album was produced by Will Jackson who was also involved with fellow Leeds band
the Kaiser Chiefs, it featured the singles "I Found Out," "Romantic Type," and "I'm Not Sorry" and it got a second lease of life, climbing back into Top Ten after nearly three months with the release of a fourth single, "Take Her Back." The track "You Better Not Look My Way," comes in at nearly four and a half minutes and slows the pace down slightly with influences from the '60s guitar and harmonious garage bands, sounding more like
the Flamin' Groovies than
the Clash. The punk influences come through loud and strong right at the start with "Romantic Type" opening with a drum beat interrupted by two of the three guitar chords crashing in before the less than subtle vocals crash in over these, even more forceful still. With four songs released as singles in just over nine months, none of which reached the Top Ten, the album was little more than the sum of its parts, 12 songs lasting a total of half an hour, but Matt Bowman's forte was not great singing but delivering the lead vocal to the group of lads, down at the pub having a good time and singing among the beer and the football. Hardly original, but the band probably didn't care at all. ~ Sharon Mawer