All Aboard – Plummie Racket (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

As much as I liked The Racket, especially the early gutter punk approach to Brit-pop that they fell into, what has come crawling from the wreckage in the shape of Plummie’s solo work seems a real step up. Hot on the heels of 2 Years Ago comes All Aboard and the realisation that he may have a real shot at mainstream interest. Not in an Ed Sheeran type way, something that you could take home to your parents, more in a slightly subversive Jamie T/ Pete Doherty kind if fashion but accessible musically speaking, even if some of the lyrical content might be a bit of a stumbling block for now.

The lyrics are typically his kitchen sink dramas and small town story lines that come at you like a council estate Alan Bennett on speed, riffing reminiscences and blunt social commentary to a squalling indie-punk soundtrack. Plummie is building an identity as a swaggering bad boy, hovering on the edge of the mainstream and although compromise probably isn’t a strong point, it wouldn’t take much from either side to see him cross over into more lucrative pastures.