Beat Six - When Chemicals Ignite (With Fuel)

by Russell Ferguson

published: 1 / 6 / 2008

Beat Six - When Chemicals Ignite (With Fuel)

Label: Brass Monkey Music
Format: CDS

Contradictory, but compelling debut single from West London-based group Beat Six who seem destined for chart success

Review

How frustrating is it to have something on the tip of your tongue? ‘When Chemicals Ignite (With Fuel)’ by Beat Six sounds so familiar you have the feeling that you have heard it before but try as you might you simply can’t place the song. It’s probably because like all good songs it’s got a catchy tune with more hooks than a fisherman's angling box. Even trying to pin down influences and who this band sound akin to is frustrating as try as you might you can’t. It’s like having a gap in memory and you just know you are never going to get the answer. To say I’m impressed with the debut single from Beat Six is an understatement. Everything about this record is a contradictions but it works so well I wonder if the band got a freebie tune from the devil. You can hear so many bands in this group but ask me to name one of them and I couldn’t. Their sound sits between indie rock and pop. It has a gloss, a professional shine on this record, yet it comes across as having a raw element. It has an 80's feel to it but it’s snapping at the heels of groups of today such as the Enemy, the View or the Pigeon Detectives. It really is that good. In the same way that Joe Strummer didn’t have a great voice but one which suited the Clash very well, Rob Williams has a decent voice but it isn’t anything special. He can, however, carry a tune. In fact none of the band play their instruments with exception, but they are all competent at what they do. This is a three song CD. ‘Little Mess’ and ‘Live Fast Lie Down’ are the B-sides, but they aren’t so far away in quality from the title track. Beat Six obvsiously have an eye on the chart. And why not ? They could certainly brighten them up. If the Tings Tings can do it with their half baked song ‘That’s Not My Name’, then Beat Six should be hot favourites with this song. While these songs aren’t what you call cutting edge, they endear themselves to the mainstream and have mass appeal that will attract many types of audiences. With Beat Six, it’s a classic case of five guys being greater than the total sum of their parts.