Demo Den

LOST CAUSE: Farmhouse EP -This young Darwen five-piece seem to specialise in angst-laden grunge. But they clearly have a sense of humour and enough raw talent to ensure we hear more about them.

The first track Hear Me sounds like Placebo with a well-structured guitar riff swirling around a gritty, intense vocals. The following track Cure is in much the same vein, with taut guitar aggression and an angry vocal giving the sound its bite. There are good harmonies on Gone Away.

Instrumental Intro Song displays great guitar energy, while the best track, Dark, starts off gloomily before exploding into splendid Seattle-style grunge. The final song Doors sees the lads having a go at a country-tinged semi-ballad. And I nearly crashed the car with laughter when I heard the post-script to this tape - a trombone solo of the theme tune from kids' drama Jonny Briggs.

PAUL BARRY

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.