ALBUM REVIEW: Little Matador: Little Matador

There will be cynics to Snow Patrol’s lead guitarist Nathan Connolly forming a heavy rock band, that a man renowned for mainstream indie is dressing up in new, trendier clothes. The first thing that needs to be done with this self titled debut is forget the who and listen to the why. This is a stripped down, raw and energetic record with a very clear influence at play. If it wasn’t for the vocals (which Connolly excels in) you could easily imagine this as a Queens Of The Stone Age album. The first  half stomps about with confident  riffs and an infectious catchiness,  ‘Stitch Yourself Up’ and ‘Boom Boom’ being the highlights. There is a downturn in quality with the stodgy duo of ‘Give & Take’ and ‘Gimme All You Got’ before things pick up a little – the discordant ‘Cheating Heart’ standing out most of the closing numbers. 7/10