4-piece, Barnsley-born rock band Under The Influence are angry. Well, with a track entitled ‘Fuck You’, how could they not be? After releasing their first single ‘Shake It’ last year, and now their first EP Rumbling of a Giant, Under the Influence are slowly gaining airtime on small independent radio stations and stage time at low-key gigs.
‘Fuck You’, whilst not the most lyrically complex track ever written – the chorus being mostly the titular couplet and the phrase “I’m gonna do what I wanna do” – is definitely satisfyingly bitter for those bad-mood days. However, the tracks glaring similarities to the likes of The Dead Kennedy’s ‘Holiday in Cambodia’ and The Ramones ‘Blitzkreig Bop’ are, perhaps, a little too glaring. We all have our musical tastes and favoured styles, but nobody likes a copycat, and Under The Influence may be erring a little too far on the side of mimicry with this one.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/181598992″]
That said, as an indignant rant, it does its job, and their other tracks definitely have a little more of an original spin. It might be worth sticking to the 70s and 80s originals for the likes of this one, though.
Words by Amie Bailey
@amiebailey