Following in the footsteps of Northern Soul, The Verve and, uh, Starsailor, indie rock quartet The Suzukis are pressing forward to carry Wigan’s music scene further into the new decade. After a few singles, a handful of well-received live shows and an increasingly loud buzz, which has been surrounding the band like a swarm of flies in recent months, The Suzukis are finally here with their eponymous debut album. Unlike their Wigan predecessors though, these four young hopefuls have been turning everything up, putting the edge back on and generally shrugging their shoulders at anyone that likes things a bit too nice. Yes, The Suzukis are here and they mean business.
Starting with the recent single ‘Are You Happy With Yourself?’, the album immediately fails to pull any punches or beat around the bush, jumping straight in at the deep end with a menacing bassline and driving, quick-paced rhythm. Frontman Chris Veasey sneers his repetitive yet striking vocal like a northern Johnny Rotten with a sore head and an even badder attitude. Previous single ‘Built In’ follows next with its irresistible punk riff and unpredictable tempo.
Although The Suzukis may seem to carry the same northern attitude that we’ve seen from countless other bands over the past few decades, they’ve somehow managed to lift all the best things from American hardcore and grunge music and blend them to perfection with their own homegrown influences. Tracks like ‘Really High’ and ‘Reasons for Leaving’, for instance, display a definite quiet-loud-quiet-loud character of Nirvana and the likes, while ‘Personal Patrol’ could almost be a much heavier-sounding Oasis.
The Suzukis are, on the surface, a northern indie band as we known them, except with the added complexity and occasional expertise of a far more ambitious rock outfit. More important, however, is their ability to throw their own qualities and reckless charm into the music, while still maintaining the early appeal of more established rock influences. Whether you’re impressed by this shameless group of punk upstarts or not, get used to it – The Suzukis are here to stay.
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Starting with the recent single ‘Are You Happy With Yourself?’, the album immediately fails to pull any punches or beat around the bush, jumping straight in at the deep end with a menacing bassline and driving, quick-paced rhythm. Frontman Chris Veasey sneers his repetitive yet striking vocal like a northern Johnny Rotten with a sore head and an even badder attitude. Previous single ‘Built In’ follows next with its irresistible punk riff and unpredictable tempo. 
