The bulldog breed

Last of the Light Brigade's debut LP The Ones They Left Behind succeeds in capturing the band at its live and raw best, says Colin Leach (with some help from Rudyard Kipling)

There is a line uttered by comedian Tony Hancock in the TV episode The Reunion Party where he is trying to impress upon Sid James the calibre of former colleagues in his Second World War regiment.

'We were the bulldog breed – Kipling stuff.'

It is a term that could be applied to the island's own bulldog breed, Last of the Light Brigade. The band takes it name from the Rudyard Kipling poem, which echoes Alfred Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade.

OK, so not quite the hardship faced by the gallant cavalry in the Crimean War, but the mix of poetry with imagery of a group charging into battle is a nice metaphor for this young three-piece, striving to get their songs across in a crusade against mediocrity.

Despite being one of the more interesting groups to have emerged on the live scene over the past few years, and with a small band of faithful followers, Last of The Light Brigade can at times be somewhat overlooked on the local scene.

Maybe this is because they don't fit in with the island's noise merchants, but their resolve has seen LOTLB perform some cracking gigs.

Hopefully, with the release of their debut LP, The Ones You Left Behind, the band will start getting some attention further afield.

They deserve to.

They were only shiftless soldiers, the last of the Light Brigade....

Up until a few years ago the band were a four piece called No Ambition, before adopting Kipling's poetic title.

Guitarist Josh Moore quit at the end of 2010 to head up three-piece China Aster.

This left singer/guitarist Tyler Edmonds, bassist Ben Queripel and drummer Stu Carre to carry on as a three-piece.

I had reservations that the loss of Josh's Johnny Marr-like noodlings would lessen the band's musical texture, yet if anything it has strengthened their sound on stage – and that's something which has rather pleasingly been replicated in the LP's recording ...

A desolate little cluster, the last of the Light Brigade.

The LP starts with an obscure sound effect that later reveals itself at the end of the last song as a tape spooling. This marks out the band's manifesto – an analogue band in a digital world. Ironic then that it's only available via download, but what can you do?

The first track, one of many live favourites in the brigade's canon, is Lead The Others Away. A three-chord riff kicks off proceedings, then we're away, with the band accenting each end of the verse with dynamic stabs.

Sonically this harks back to The Jam's debut LP In The City, though such a comparison would do LOTLB a disservice, as other influences, such as The Smiths and The MC5, can be heard in later songs.

Next up is Nature Beat Me To The Punchline, a mid-paced tune with its la-da-da singalong motif, again a familiar tune in the band's live sets.

There are no frills in the recording, hardly any layered guitars and the minimal amount of extra percussion such as the odd tambourine accompaniment. This 'less is more' technique is a wise move and by doing so the band are able to portray their live sound.

The smart little rocker Little Billy follows. I saw the band end with this on the main stage at Jersey Live last year. Its chugging verse is reminiscent of local band Thee Jenerators and is guaranteed to get the faithful on the dancefloor.

Stu Carre's drums powers the song along and a cool organ solo adds a 60s touch.

The lyrically sly Reputation to Keep – which starts with Ben's overdriven Rickenbacker bass – shows off Tyler's witty songwriting.

My favourite LOTLB tune Girlfriend's Been Sectioned is up next. The two-chord groove gives it a similar feel to The Stooges' I Feel Alright and retains the great menace achieved in the live rendition.

They shambled into his presence, the last of the Light Brigade.

The gentle indie-shuffle of You Can't Go On, You Go On has some great lines in the verse. It is good to see how the band can kick back and give the melody free rein.

The Filth is up next, another mid-paced song with a stop-start tempo and some acerbic lyrics: 'you know who you are but you don't know what you're not!'

Next is a song I know quite well, seeing as how it is a cover of my former band The Risk's 1984 tune Nice People. And it has to be said, LOTLB play a better version of it.

Penultimate song Leave Me On The Floor is the only track that feels like filler to me – still, a 90% success rate is a good ratio for any debut.

And we leave to the streets and the workhouse the charge of the Light Brigade!

The last track, No Ambition, was the band's signature tune under their former name.

The punky number is as fiery as it is played live and rounds off the LP well.

Their statement of intent is assured.

This is the charge of the Last of the Light Brigade.