It seems that Mike Skinner of The Streets has started a trend. Just like Skinner, Surrey wideboy Simon Franks performs lengthy raps about life in urban Britain with a deadpan wit that recalls the best of such great English lyricists as Ray Davies and Elvis Costello. Unlike Skinner, however, Franks has a partner in crime - DJ Tom Dinsdale, who brews up an enticing backdrop of punk, ska and funky hip-hop. Put them together and you get Ego War, 13 hilarious tales about the joys of girls, getting drunk and arguing with your mum. Packed with infectious tunes, it's like Madness fronted by a bellowing Shaun Ryder - silly, childish and remarkably good fun. Can it really be that the UK's bedrooms are full of dodgy geezers like Franks and Skinner, waiting to be unleashed upon the world? On the evidence so far, let's hope so.
