Review: The Wind-Up Birds – Courage, For Tomorrow Will Be Worse

West Yorkshire’s The Wind-Up Birds have the distinction of being one of the few bands to actually sound more Northern than The Arctic Monkeys. Their youthful spirit and punk-fuelled swagger has been matched by a growing maturity across a slew of EPs and ‘Courage, For Tomorrow Will Be Worse’ is their latest call to arms.

For all its vitriolic lyrics, ‘Good Shop Shuts’ can’t disguise what is essentially a top pop-punk anthem whereas it’s no surprise that ‘In A Yorkshire Call Centre I Knelt Down And Wept’ features the protagonists struggling to adapt to an office environment and meeting the company’s targets. ‘The Boat Is Going Nowhere Again Tonight’ is more of the same but the group still thrill with a great pay-off on the chorus. The best is saved to last, however, as ‘Some Slum Clearances’ rides along a fantastic chugging bassline. It is here where Wind-Up Birds match their working class aggression with a modern-sounding edge.

Although a full album still seems to be elusive, this is arguably The Wind-Up Birds most coherent and addictive effort yet. Their songs give voice to the credit crunch effects on Yorkshire; skilfully balancing their gritty but articulate lyrics around rock-solid riffing.

Web Sites:
The Wind-Up Birds Official Site
The Wind-Up Birds MySpace

Further Listening:
The Arctic Monkeys, The Jam, The Buzzcocks