The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers [CD]
 

It is both a blessing and a curse that my first CD review happens to be from one of London’s least conventional bands. ‘Music For Lapdancers’ is definitely a post-modern statement by the Essex five-piece The Fighting Cocks as it ruthlessly eschews all musical boundaries in a record of almost random chaos. Attempts to categorise their musical style is nigh-on impossible but The Fighting Cocks can at least be seen as part of the recent tide of bands fusing both rock and electronica elements. Vocally the album listens like one long argument between snotty schoolgirls and one of their jealous boyfriends - bratty female hollers are obnoxiously retorted by guitarist MC Matyi. Although it has been stated before, the band conjures images of what Daphne and Celeste would sound like if they fell in with the right crowd.

‘Son Of A Bitch’ and ‘The Roof Is On Fire’ mix elements of metal and drum and bass in a concoction not unlike Pitchshifter in their early 2000s heyday, whereas ‘Theres Nothing Going On…’ and ‘Dontcha Know’ represents best DJ Assassin’s schizophrenic sampling with the intent of marrying gypsy folk to the unconsenting musical brides of ska and reggae. Once again the diversity of this band cannot be overstated.

Comprised of mostly three-minute blasts, the album appears to be the logical outcome of open-mindedness and an extremely short attention span. Unfortunately however, Its eclecticism has inevitably lead to a patchy album that is the sum of its parts rather than a coherent whole. Glimpses of genius do however flash like diamonds, for instance the tasty ragga of ‘Gangsta’ and the rock/breakbeat mashup ‘We Are The Fighting Cocks’ but it overall feels like the Fighting Cocks are still musically stabbing in the dark rather than battling in concise unison. But maybe looking for coherency is beside the point in a band who couldn’t give a shit for traditional genres. As a statement it achieves its purpose well, as the most powerful antidote to conventional, structuralist musical output currently poisoning the charts (and led by its spiritual leader, James Blunt).

Music for Lapdancers is out now on FGZ Records

Re: The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers [CD]
 

Re: The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers [CD]
 

I don't think they are actually as original or clever as they probably think they are, and to me it all sounds a bit like a bunch of sixth formers trying to impress their mates.

Fair play to them for at least trying to do something different, but I just don't think they have pulled it off, and the hype surrounding them is just the usual NME-led bull that we come to expect nowadays for any new young band, and no doubt they will have some twatty name for their new genre pretty soon (they usually start with Nu-). As unfortunate as that may seem for them, they may well love such hype, and benefit from it in some ways, at least in the short term (I have a feeling their fame may be fleeting anyway).

Good first review though. I particularly liked "overall feels like the Fighting Cocks are still musically stabbing in the dark rather than battling in concise unison". I think that's a good point, well put.

Re: The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers [CD]
 

Re: The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers [CD]
 

One of the benefits for being such an idiosyncratic band is to attract attention, positive or negative. and you know what they say about publicity. As for NME, that floozie rag declares undying love to a different band every issue so i wouldn't take them seriously.

Re: The Fighting Cocks - Music For Lapdancers [CD]
 

It all depends on what they are after. If they want to sell lots of records and make lots of money then yes any publicity is good publicity. However, if they strive for artistic credibility and long term recognition then getting too much too soon can be a very bad thing (particularly if it's off the NME).

I suspect they want it all (hey why not?), but this very rarely achieved.