The Wild Gulloots ~ Hold On Tight (EP) (album review) ... & don't let go!

Style: alt rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2008
Home: Bristol, England

Members: Sam Evans ~ vocals
Frankie Wollacott ~ Lead Guitar
Sam Short ~ guitar/backing vocals
Stuart Gullick ~ bass/backing vocals
Craig Walker ~ drums

I've always been surprised that there's not more of a rivalry between the British & American music scene throughout history. However similar they are they are also very different. Could the Stones, Led Zep, The Who or Sabbath have been created in America? Or, could Megadeth & Metallica have been done with a British accent? Though "alt rock", such as in the The Killers, seems to be the latest trend I hear definite differences between what is coming out of America & Britain within this genre. Maybe I'm not listening to enough of it but I often find the British music more musically experimental & exciting. Or, I should say the emphasis in the arrangements is on different things, though I can't put my finger on exactly what. The Wild Gulloots, an up & coming band a few years old in Bristol with the average of age of 20, is one of these bands where I can't put my finger on the what those Brit's are doing that we Yanks aren't, but I know they have something we can learn as I listen to them. For those of us that pour metal into our ears constantly it's rather easy to forget that there's music out there that doesn't need to prove a pound by storming fast like a locomotive & that there's a difference between a riff & a melody line. It's easy to forget that songs exist that aren't 90% guitar show-off soloing. It's like sitting in your room too much with the windows closed. You go outside & realize how beautiful the day is & are shocked that you feel as good as you did hibernating if not better. That's the best way to describe the Wild Gulloots - a breathe of musical fresh air. & if you haven't figured it out - they're named after their bald headed bassist. I was hunting in the dictionary for what a Gulloot was before I finally looked at the band roster.