According to Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen fame, Violent Playground are, “one of the most amazing bands to come out of Liverpool.”
I must say this EP took me a little by surprise. With a name like ‘Violent Playground,’ I was expecting some full on abrasive, scuzzy punk music. I was really looking forward to it. I wasn’t disappointed. Although this is absolutely NOT what I expected, after a couple of listens I’ve got to say that this is a very enjoyable ten minutes worth of EP.
Opener ‘Matter’ is a slowish bluesy track starting with simple guitar and plucked bass accompanying the vocals. As it builds, the pace increases and while never reaching frenetic levels, the key to this song is in its power and the melodic vocals leading to some nice guitar work towards the end.
‘Mob Rules’ has shades of Ocean Colour Scene within the instrumentation. It is faster than the opening track and a bit more brash and aggressive. Again there is some excellent guitar solo work woven into the song. For me, this is the best of the three tracks on offer – mainly due to the pace and vibrancy.
‘Dusk’ is another slow-burner. It has the atmosphere of an ‘epic’, though at less than three minutes in length, I’ll concede it is a pretty short ‘epic.’ And maybe that’s my only criticism, for the song builds slowly and melodically with the addition of a string section, and just when you think it’s going to develop into something of really classic proportions with searing guitar solos and the like, it ends. Just like that!
Obviously, I’m in no position to question Ian McCulloch’s assertion, but having supported The Coral and sold out several venues in their home city, it certainly seems as if Violent Playground are impressing a lot of people. This EP gives me the impression that there is an awful lot more to come from this band.