The Blizzards are from Mullingar. There, now that we've got that irrelevant fact out of the way, and made the by-now-obligatory Joe Dolan/Mullingar heifer reference, maybe we can actually talk about the music. Since the quintet arrived onto the scene in 2004 - ex-rugby-playing, husky-voiced heartthrob Niall Breslin at the helm - The Blizzards have secured an flurry of support nationwide, pushed their three singles into the top 20 and gained some serious plaudits from critics for their animated live shows. Somehow managing to secure the knob-twiddling services of uber-cool LA producer Michael Beinhorn (RHCP, Korn, Soundgarden) hasn't done them any harm, either; but will an overseer with a penchant for loud, boisterous rawk numb the cheeky charm that The Blizzards have nurtured over the past couple of years? Thankfully, he hasn't. Though A Public Display of Affection holds a certain polished gleam that only a big-name producer could have brought to the fray, they've also nailed several tracks that often sound a little rough-around-the-edges live. Opener Freaky is a superb, swaggering adventure that epitomises the Blizzards' singular vocal interplay, all harmonies, ripostes and warbling keyboard riffs; single Trouble's brazen, ninety-miles-an-hour energy is a pop-rock beast; Dangerous Bitches's sharp, ska-flavoured, flyaway chorus sounds like the backing track to a fucked up carousel, and Fantasy's power-pop riff recalls the likes of Fountains of Wayne, or Jimmy Eat World at their most whimsical. Breslin has a real talent for writing hilariously self-deprecating/sardonic lyrics, too: on the brilliant calypso-vibed Why Do You Fancy Scumbags? he croons 'Why do you fancy scumbags who just treat you all like dirt / Get you pregnant, and then leave you for some tart in a tight skirt', and on ode-to-Viagra Superdrug, waggishly advises: 'If you experience any of the following symptoms, please stop / 'Cos your heart can't keep up with your cock'. It may seem all very trivial at times, but there's also a delightful earnesty about The Blizzards that makes them hard to eschew. Dismiss at your peril.
