Hit The B Button – ‘Martial’

This Belfast based trio Hit The B Button (with origins in Canada) have been on the go since late 2012 and it could be to your shame if you were not aware of them until now because, ‘Martial’ is a wee lo-fi gem. In an age where the word ‘punk’ has been totally oversold and bands that call themselves punk are so overproduced as to make a mockery of the name, it is reassuring to hear a band that knows how to mix basic three chord rock with electronic sounds so well; a band that can still rock out and yet have that ear for a catchy lick and chorus.

They also take home the prize of ‘The band who look least like they sound’. No offence intended, but messers Ledgerwood, Ledgerwood and Wright look like (tie)dyed-in-the-wool grunge/stoner rockers, so looking at their picture does not in any prepare you for the ‘electro punk’ frenzy that awaits behind the ‘play’ button.

There is very little information about them on the web other than the band took its name from its collective love of video games. They do list Red Hot Chili Peppers, Q.O.T.S.A., Jimmy Eat World and you can hear bits of that here and there, although the band’s sound which comes to the fore is Less Than Jake, especially vocally. Ledgerwood has that saccharine sweet vocal, not a million miles away from Green from Scritti Politti.

What more is there to say? Hit The B Button should be renamed Hit The Repeat Play Button!

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