22-20’s ’22-20’s’ (Heavenly)

When Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin invented heavy metal, what they played was what we would now term blues rock. Metal got much heavier (Mötorhead, Metallica, Napalm Death, Slipknot etc) the further it got from its rock’n’roll roots and so blues rock in the UK sort of ended in the 70’s and was consigned to the record collections of middle aged men who had graduated to Dire Straits.

The good ole US of A, being so huge and with a record buying population of mainly white people, never really lost it. The Black Crows used to be good and Guns’n’Roses were clearly more rock and roll than metal, despite the poodle hair cuts. 22-20s don’t sound like either of those bands and are not actually from America, but are clearly blues based and like playing loud.

Children of Lincoln (where exactly is Lincoln by the way?), 22-20’s have that same thumping Mississippi sound that makes the (Jon Spencer) Blues Explosion so exciting, but are more structured in their songs and don’t run off in crazy, amp-blowing directions. Whether or not Lincoln has swamp land doesn’t really matter as the band, led by 21-year old guitarist/singer/songwriter, Martin Trimble, understands the subtlety of the blues. Name-checking The Stones, Buddy Guy and The White Stripes, Trimble sees where his band fits in the continuation of the blues story and is happy about it. His desire to sound the best they can contradicts a growing tendency towards using minimalist recording techniques and yet the 22-20’s sound like they are keeping it real whilst also moving things on a bit.

Most of the tracks on this album are melancholy, almost dark - ‘The Things That Lovers Do’ being pretty much pure wallowing. That said though, it’s all toe-tapping stuff and ‘I’m The One’ would go down very well at a barn-yard hoe-down. ‘Friends’ sounds more Dylan than Deep Purple and is the only acoustic track on the album which, for a rock band, is the way it should be.

People expecting ‘good looking’ music need not bother with 22-20’s because it certainly doesn’t fit into our current British rock (which is actually indie) revival and will most likely cause offence to our long-but-nicely-washed-hair covered ears. But, if like me, you like the blues and anyone that plays it (apart from Bruce Willis), then give it a listen. Apparently though they are better live, so maybe check them out at the Scala, Kings Cross on 27 October 2004 first.

words: Robin Harris

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