The Dead Flags
Gentlemen's Club

The debut album from Sligo-based rockers The Dead Flags offers a series of throwaway pop punk songs with catchy hooks and strong beats. It's a shame the lyrics are neither as witty nor funny as they're intended to be.

After breaking the Irish Top 30 with singles 'O My Love! O My God!!' and 'Anymore', Sligo pop rockers The Dead Flags release their debut album, a set of upbeat easy breezy pop tunes grounded by rough edged punk guitars. The Dead Flags are at their best when they're nearer to punk than to pop, though sadly, this makes up less than half of 'Gentlemen's Club'. 'Let The Night Begin' kicks things off with a bang, and The Dead Flags are lucky it makes such a good first impression. Had another opener been chosen it might be easier to quickly write off The Dead Flags as just another mediocre Irish guitar pop band.

The offbeat drums of "Cheating On You" are enough to get anyone's foot tapping, while the catchy bass and distorted vocals of "I Can't Be Held Responsible" are among the album's finer moments. 'Let's Start A Fire Tonight' is actually quite clever, turning the overused metaphor of "fire starting" on its head, but elsewhere the lyrics are far from witty. Though the many, many sexual references are surely intended in the best of good humour, they often come across as tacky and immature. 'O My Love! O My God!!' has a whopping sing-along chorus, but when you actually listen to the words it becomes far less appealing. Unless you have the sense of humour of a 14 year old boy and then you'll probably really appreciate the reference to the "no pants dance".

One thing's for sure, these boys can deliver catchy hooks, sometimes annoyingly so, but there isn't enough substance behind it to make 'Gentlemen's Club' anything more than a passing fancy.

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