I saw the Star Spangles not so long ago supporting Idlewild and they didn't mean much to me then. 'Stay Away From Me' doesn't help their cause.

Rudimentary 1978 punk guitars and authentic Strokes-alike production sees them come across as akin to the sixteenth track on a local bands compilation CD. Clearly they own a few good records, but they haven't worked out how to incorporate the sounds into their own music rather than perform a poor pastiche.

Whilst I'm in a particularly spiteful mood, I'll knock their image as well. A certain weekly music paper said they were rocking the New York look. From the single cover I'd say it was more a case of four New Deal wannabe guitar stars spending two pounds each in a charity shop containing recent donations from Toploader, Ocean Colour Scene, and Paddington Bear.

Sad.