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Review: 'NIGHTMARE AND THE CAT'
'Simple'   

-  Label: 'Capitol Records'
-  Genre: 'Pop' -  Release Date: '22nd July 2014'

Our Rating:
Since Daddy was a Eurythmic and Mummy (Siobhan Faey) co-founded Bananarama no-one could have been very surprised when Django Stewart and brother Samuel said they wanted to form a pop band together. Django sings and Sam plays guitar - let's make music.

After recruiting Claire Acey (backing vocals, guitar), Scott Henson (bass) and Spike Phillips (drums) they were ready to go.

The fact that they should then immediately sign to a major label and get to perform a track from their debut album on Letterman must be solely due to the quality of the music rather than who their parents happen to be. Or maybe not!

When you hear the record, it would be unkind to call it downright bad but then again it would be generous to rate it as above average. They put together half-way decent pop songs with a 60s flavour but so do many other struggling bands.

In fairness, they do have the grace to acknowledge the advantages of their background. On the title track, Django sings "I have tried my best to keep away from the privilege in my father's name, so who's to blame for certain".

Yet when Django relates the story of how he his brother got to be making music together, 'privilege' is the word that inevitably comes to mind.

The way he tells it, both were in their own bands on either side of the Atlantic. Sam called and suggested they try jamming to see what happens. Django liked the idea so he flew from London to L.A. and things clicked.

Hopping on a plane to jam on the off chance that sparks might fly certainly puts these two young men in a category far removed from that of struggling artists. The music reflects this level of comfort and ease.

Undercover, the track they performed on the Letterman show, is an unconvincing song about a clandestine love by a band that still look very wet behind the ears.

There's also something very smug about the choice of band name. This apparently comes from the title of a never released song from an unknown artist named Anthony Harwood. So obscure is this reference that all Google searches draw a blank leading to the suspicion that this story is bogus.

Perhaps I'm being unkind. Time will tell. But if Django and Sam do have what it takes to be stars in their own right, the talents are well hidden on this mediocre record.

Nightmare And The Cat's website
  author: Martin Raybould

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NIGHTMARE AND THE CAT - Simple