While generally thought of as the Ladies' Auxiliary of
Billy Childish
's empire of U.K.
garage rock
,
thee Headcoatees
are a fine
rock & roll
combo in their own right, and their second full-length album,
Have Love Will Travel
, shows that while they happily collaborate with
Childish
, they have a style and identity of their own.
produced the sessions and wrote most of the songs, but
display a slightly lighter touch and a more musical approach than their mentor, and they host some fine vocal talent in
Holly Golightly
and
Kyra La Rubia
, making
a more cheerful and less aggressive work than most of
's own projects. The tunes are simple but they boast a higher percentage of hooks than
's own albums, and the lyrics deliver a suitably gal-centric perspective on that most traditional of all
pop
music themes, romance, though they do offer a vital history lesson with
"Louis Riel,"
deliver some sound advice on
"Mess of Pottage,"
and show they can bash as hard as they want on their cover of
the Chordettes
'
"My Boyfriend's Learning Karate."
Thee Headcoatees
aren't so much
with girls or
Thee Headcoats Lite
as a
-leaning variation on the traditional Medway Rock theme, and this has enough spunk and spirit to confirm that there's nothing wrong with being a
group, especially when you can cover
"Big Boss Man"
"I'm Gonna Make You Mine"
this well. Big fun and both tougher and better crafted than you might expect. ~ Mark Deming