This is old school rock and pop and no bad thing at that although it’s been dusted down and spruced up with a little indie street cred to conceive something fresh, vital, energetic and vibrant. These lads hail from the sprawling and faceless conurbation of North London. Ok, the Olympics might be grabbing attention down in the smoke at present but they’re nearly over. The Tax are waiting in the wings, and their moment is coming.
Back in 1961 an A&R man by the name of Dick Rowe once famously said that guitar groups were on their way out. The Decca record label never did quite recover from the shock of having turned down the Beatles. Every company since should heed the history of this salutary lesson lest they are losing out on potential billions to a rival. Of course there have been a billion aspirant Beatles since and the fact is there will never be another. However every now and then a band turns up who have that kind of buzz and creativity worthy of attention.
It’s clear from listening to this stuff that they have more than a little respect for their antecedents and there is much in their song-writing that owes tribute to a host of acts from yesteryear. More groups should recognise that you can’t forever keep trying to set up a genre all of your own. Sometimes it’s better to revisit the past and then do it better. The Tax do just that. More to the point they not only generate music that is astonishingly exciting, they do it with consummate proficiency and flair. This is good music well-crafted and that combo is always a winner. There is some dandy lead guitar adding juicy bite to the playing and some wonderful glissandos on the keyboards that add such a flourish, as in “It’s getting better”.
Most bands just appear as though they are latching onto a chosen style and hitching a ride with it. Not many grab the steering wheel and drive it to a destination of their own choice. This crew ooze the kind of confidence in every facet of their music that indicate their natural forte is to be leaders not followers. Understandably they have absorbed influences and rightly so. For example there are elements of American soft rock on some tracks such as “We tell you a lie” which has echoes of Boston about it, especially with the vocals. “Young, empty and to blame” has little punk motifs that work so well within the context of the song’s grandeur. Yet overall this is a self-assured body of work stamped with originality that can only evolve and flourish further.
Perhaps one of the most manifest indications of their potential can be heard with “I am never alone”, a beautifully wrought ballad expressed with tender vocals. Indeed there is something truly epic about this band. They produce a full sound that absolutely commands the space it fills. Turn it up loud and let your speakers pay homage. Some groups acquire fame with posterity. Others have it thrust upon them by chance. A few craft it for themselves by design. The Tax appear to be hell-bent on designer fame and fortune.
Everyone remembers the Beatles but does anyone recall Dick Rowe? As Daniel Defoe was famously noted - nothing is certain but death and taxes. For once this might be a tax that will bring joy to people’s faces, and in a world as fickle as the music business nothing is certain but it seems The Tax are not destined for an early death.
Review by Peter Heydon
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