Words: Tracy Lynch.

When all you hear these days is that dreaded ‘R’ word, you would think the last thing any aspiring band would want to do is name their debut EP after the cause of so much doom and gloom. However, when you hear the reason as to why ‘The Out Last Knights’ have christened their first offering the Recession EP, it all begins to make sense, and makes you wonder as to just what this economic downturn could bring to the shores of Irish music.

Thanks to the lack of work and the related pressure and stress that it normally brings, these four musicians finally found the time to record some long awaited tracks. The EP has been in the making for quiet some time now and the lads honoured its final completion so much to the recession, that they not only called their EP after it, but they went as far to include a homage to it in the record sleeve. "TOLK would also like to thank sincerely all subprime leaders, investment bankers, the Bush administration and Fianna Fail for their part in creating the climate of joblessness which greatly facilitated the researching, writing and recording of the Recession EP." And something tells me that these guys aren’t going to be the only band/singers producing and recording for the first time due to a lot of free time on their hands.

But enough about that recession word, which The Out Last Knights have given a more light hearted view, and not before time too. Fans and friends alike flocked to Radio City on Dublin’s Store Street on a frosty November night. In fact the unprecedented turnout resulted in the first pressing of the EP vanishing as they were given out free alongside a modest cover fee. But fear not, my sources tell me more are on the way!

The cover of the album itself has to be my first port of call - the impressive work of Jean Curran sums up the title and band's sound all on a single leaflet. Turning to the band, with a mix of Kilkenny, Galway and Kerry, but based and recording in Stoneybatter, Dublin, the lads have been working hard at recording and playing gigs and generally trying to make a start for themselves. And finally, that sense of getting somewhere that comes with having a launch party was finally all theirs. A set of just an hour, as to be expected with a new band, included just one cover of Katy Perry’s ‘I kissed a girl’, which surprised me by working as well as it did under their guise. That and the drummer’s involvement in the chorus, makes you wonder if Tom Gibbons should be given a few more lines to sing here and there throughout the set.

Which leads me nicely to the singing of TOLK’s in general. They’ve got the music, got the songs with catchy lyrics and great rifts, but it’s the lack of presence of a lead singer that demotes the vocals. Anto and Billy have both got good voices, albeit differing in comparison, and sure they may suit the varying songs they sing, but the chopping and changing over doesn’t really do it for me. In my opinion it’s better for a four piece like TOLK’s and so many other similar bands to have set roles. If you’re basing your band on many legendary ones gone before it, then set roles need to come into play. It’s not only going to benefit your image and the structure of the band as a whole, but more importantly it’s going to give each member a specific role to concentrate on, thus working at the part, be it vocals or lead guitarist. Sure, work other vocals into songs like with their cover tune, but have a strongly defined lead presence.

But all in all, if that’s the only flaw that comes from a band on their first offering then The Out Last Knights are certainly heading down the right track. I was impressed by their song-writing abilities; songs like ‘Mr Grass’ have a certain way of getting into your head and staying there. Other offerings like ‘Enter Venus’ and ‘Majority’ again display a good sense of lyrical attributes. The Recession EP is a good first attempt from The Out Last Knights, changing around a thing or two, and giving it twice as much as their all, then these guys could well become a prominent Irish band on that circuit. They are already working hard at playing gigs in and around Dublin so keep an eye on their various social networking sites for details. The Out Last Knights are worth a look and listen, and could well be on their way to becoming the hot topic of the night before.

Check it: www.myspace.com/outlastknights