I’d have happily wagered a tenner that Lions In The Street were deeply familiar with the oeuvre of the Rolling Stones even if the PR bumf didn’t explicitly mention ‘em. Whether it’s rock’n’rollin’ or inclining towards country, the influence of the Glimmer Twins on a good few of the 12 songs on Moving Along is plain as day. Thing is though, that’s just the Lions’ starting point, like a fella striding towards the end of a 10-metre diving board – then hurling himself off with all the elegance of a drunk falling downstairs. In a good way.
The defining thing about the Lions, I reckon, is the twin guitar action of Chris Kinnon and Sean Casey. To be clear, the rhythm section of Jeff Kinnon on drums and Enzo Figliuzzi on bass stoke the boiler like they’ve got hellhounds on their tail, but the fire is all about the guitars. Cop an earful of ‘Mine Ain’t Yours’ and you’ll get the drift. Jeff Kinnon gives his kit a fearful clobbering, Figliuzzi supplies blistering bass lines, and Chris Kinnon bawls over the top in
breathless fashion, but in the end it’s the guitars that grab the attention. This ain’t no artful Keef’n’Woody weaving, oh no. It’s more like a couple of bruisers trying to elbow each other out of the way, sparks flying as riffs, chords and licks collide.
Amid all the turmoil they still manage to squeeze some other instruments into the mix, as on ‘Moving Along’ itself, with thudding piano adding to the dirty, ringing cords and rumbling drums of the intro, before they put their heads down for a headlong charge, with harp and guitar squawking away together as it pounds along. Or there’s the honking sax that elevates ‘Waiting On A Woman’, with its jangling Jack Flashy riff and bucketfuls of bobbing and weaving bass, and Chris Kinnon yelping his way through the vocal, boosted by raucous harmonies courtesy of someone or other. On closing track ‘You’re Gonna Lose’ it’s the turn of trilling harp and piano to barge their way into the picture, competing with distorted, monolith-heavy slabs of a Quo-like churning riff over a stomping beat. It sounds like something that’s escaped from the zoo – like a very angry elephant maybe, lead guitar blaring away towards the finish. Who supplies all this other instrumentation isn’t clear from the production notes in front of me. The ghost of Brian Jones maybe?
They do explore some different avenues mind you. ‘Walking Back To You’ has a whiff of The Band about it, with Kinnon’s keening vocal and some moaning and groaning slide guitar as hallmarks, and with a scorching guitar solo leading to the fade-out Then both ‘Gold Pour Down’ and ‘Lady Blue’ lean into more of a country vibe, the former still steady and muscular with a tinkling piano flourish at the end, the latter getting more torn and frayed, with Kinnon’s voice and attendant harmonies to the fore and yes, some twinklingly subtle guitar. ‘Truer Now’ goes even further, with plucking banjo and swooning pedal steel like a country twang take on Zeppelin’s ‘That’s The Way’ (if you like that sort of thing).
But hey, there’s still plenty of energy to burn. ‘Already Gone’ is hurtling rock’n’roll with a ramshackle vibe like it’s been flung against the walls in CBGB’s, apart from the sudden gasping breathers they take along the way. I’m not so sold on the tune of ‘Shangri La’, but with its swathes of organ, and shaken’n’stirred piano in the background, the urgent delivery still drags you along whether you like it or not – and while I’ve played up their tornado-like force, the Lions are still a mighty tight combo.
‘Hey Hey Arlene’ kicks off with a ‘Johnny B Goode’ guitar intro, then cracks on like Chuck Berry amped up to the max and tearing down the highway like a bat out of hell. And ‘All For Your Love’ goes rockin' in the free world with a menacing riff topped out by jagged chords, and with unusually restrained vocals from Chris Kinnon and a curiously Beatle-ish romantic bridge – until a screeching guitar break gets unshackled.
The lion doesn’t sleep on Moving Along, it roars like the fella at the start of MGM movies. If you like a bit of no holds barred raunch, then brace yourself and give this a listen – it should definitely clear your sinuses.
Lions In The Street is released on 8 November, and can be ordered here.
The defining thing about the Lions, I reckon, is the twin guitar action of Chris Kinnon and Sean Casey. To be clear, the rhythm section of Jeff Kinnon on drums and Enzo Figliuzzi on bass stoke the boiler like they’ve got hellhounds on their tail, but the fire is all about the guitars. Cop an earful of ‘Mine Ain’t Yours’ and you’ll get the drift. Jeff Kinnon gives his kit a fearful clobbering, Figliuzzi supplies blistering bass lines, and Chris Kinnon bawls over the top in
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| Lions In The Street celebrate getting a discount on leather jackets Pic by Gregory Crowe |
Amid all the turmoil they still manage to squeeze some other instruments into the mix, as on ‘Moving Along’ itself, with thudding piano adding to the dirty, ringing cords and rumbling drums of the intro, before they put their heads down for a headlong charge, with harp and guitar squawking away together as it pounds along. Or there’s the honking sax that elevates ‘Waiting On A Woman’, with its jangling Jack Flashy riff and bucketfuls of bobbing and weaving bass, and Chris Kinnon yelping his way through the vocal, boosted by raucous harmonies courtesy of someone or other. On closing track ‘You’re Gonna Lose’ it’s the turn of trilling harp and piano to barge their way into the picture, competing with distorted, monolith-heavy slabs of a Quo-like churning riff over a stomping beat. It sounds like something that’s escaped from the zoo – like a very angry elephant maybe, lead guitar blaring away towards the finish. Who supplies all this other instrumentation isn’t clear from the production notes in front of me. The ghost of Brian Jones maybe?
They do explore some different avenues mind you. ‘Walking Back To You’ has a whiff of The Band about it, with Kinnon’s keening vocal and some moaning and groaning slide guitar as hallmarks, and with a scorching guitar solo leading to the fade-out Then both ‘Gold Pour Down’ and ‘Lady Blue’ lean into more of a country vibe, the former still steady and muscular with a tinkling piano flourish at the end, the latter getting more torn and frayed, with Kinnon’s voice and attendant harmonies to the fore and yes, some twinklingly subtle guitar. ‘Truer Now’ goes even further, with plucking banjo and swooning pedal steel like a country twang take on Zeppelin’s ‘That’s The Way’ (if you like that sort of thing).
But hey, there’s still plenty of energy to burn. ‘Already Gone’ is hurtling rock’n’roll with a ramshackle vibe like it’s been flung against the walls in CBGB’s, apart from the sudden gasping breathers they take along the way. I’m not so sold on the tune of ‘Shangri La’, but with its swathes of organ, and shaken’n’stirred piano in the background, the urgent delivery still drags you along whether you like it or not – and while I’ve played up their tornado-like force, the Lions are still a mighty tight combo.
‘Hey Hey Arlene’ kicks off with a ‘Johnny B Goode’ guitar intro, then cracks on like Chuck Berry amped up to the max and tearing down the highway like a bat out of hell. And ‘All For Your Love’ goes rockin' in the free world with a menacing riff topped out by jagged chords, and with unusually restrained vocals from Chris Kinnon and a curiously Beatle-ish romantic bridge – until a screeching guitar break gets unshackled.
The lion doesn’t sleep on Moving Along, it roars like the fella at the start of MGM movies. If you like a bit of no holds barred raunch, then brace yourself and give this a listen – it should definitely clear your sinuses.
Lions In The Street is released on 8 November, and can be ordered here.
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