The opening few bars of Not My Skin from The Loungekings' demo are superb – a jangly guitar line,
booming drums and a thunderous bass combine expertly to build the suspense on a claustrophobic sounding
track. By the time the track has calmed down and the vocals have joined in for the verse some of the
tension does get lost but the band manage to bring it back for the chorus and, in any case, a breather
is probably something that the listener needs. The track has all the right elements to be brilliant
but something just seems to be missing – perhaps the fact that the sound is quite dated with its early
90s feel to it.
The Derbyshire band were once asked to perform in the penalty area of Derby County’s Pride Park as part
of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations and it can be stated with confidence that they have a sound that
could easily fill such an open space. This has also seen them win numerous Battle of the Bands titles,
including a very respectable 4th out of 500 in a nationwide competition.
Second track Turn Around sounds like a much more frantic Matchbox 20 or even Reef. It’s a more
than decent rock song but again could be accused of being a little bit 'Wayne's World' just like the
previous song. Third track Animal Garden is faster again – like a cross between the claustrophobia
of the first track and the energy of the second. Highlights of the track include the fuzz-heavy bassline
and the snarling vocals and it makes for a very concise end to the demo. It also confirms that The
Loungekings are aiming squarely at one market and, if you are part of that market, you could do far
worse than this.
