Hidden Charms unearthed as a band to rev up rock for their generation

Charming the socks off the jam-packed room at The Lyric Theatre last Thursday, Feb. 18 was the latest quartet to come out of London, Hidden Charms. They haven?t blown up yet, but you can be sure the British are coming.

A chance hearing of their single, ?Sunny Side,? on Chris Carter?s British Invasion (Sirius XM) prompted legendary Kinks producer, Shel Talmy, to contact their management about producing the young band of 19 and 20 year olds. Talmy helped pioneer the "You Really Got Me" sound of The Kinks and produced The Who's seminal debut My Generation.

Hidden Charms' sartorial nod to Mod styles of the ?60s with paisley silk shirts and skinny cravats; boyish good looks; and blues-soaked brand of modern rock and roll are as much rooted in The Kinks, The Who and theMUSCLE Shoals sound of The Rolling Stones, as it is the Arctic Monkeys and The White Stripes.

However, their true charms lay in the fact that the young lads have gone to the source - rhythm and blues. They grew up listening to Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf who inspired so many of the greats such as Jimi Hendrix and the rock explosion of Brit R&B bands of the '60s who then fed this giddy style of rock back to America.

These kids are alright - Vincent Davies (vocals, bass, guitar); Ranald Macdonald (vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass); Josh Lewis (guitar, bass) and Oscar Robertson (drums) wear their inspiration on their sleeves and it shines through their musicianship.

Davies is blessed with the kind of gravelly vocals that music men makeDEALS with the devil for and his voice goes down a growly tread on their opening song, ?Gonna Be Your Man?. The song immediately set them apart from the other three bands on the bill. They drew the biggest turn-out and electrified the air with an excitement that was palpable.

?I Don?t Mind? confirmed the foursome are tight - apart from the drummer, the other three on guitars rotated instruments but did not show any less flair or proficiency.

?Long Way Down? revealed them in the tradition of Brit bands with two frontmen from the Beatles to The Libertines and Palma Violets. Macdonald's softer lilt befitted this slow bluesy number with an earworm of a guitar riff. Davies' vocals here served an even better master when in harmonies with Macdonald and Roberston.

Davies then announced, ?This is a new one with our mate, Shel Talmy. You changed our lives and we can?t forget it,? then launched into ?Lady Like You?. They may have recorded this song in analogue with the 77-year-old Talmy who has recently lost his sight but on stage tonight, there is no backward-looking retro track. It has shades of Humbug-era Arctic Monkeys, surf-guitar riffs reminiscent of Link Wray and TheVENTURES but through the prism of four young talents and a legend.

Then it was on to ?Sunny Side? their first single to be released which was produced by San Francisco?s one-time best ?60s R&B selector, Nick Waterhouse. A jaunty feel-good vibe with a deep blues cut, you could have imagine if this was 1991, it would have landed on the soundtrack of Alan Parker's The Commitments movie.

Little wonder that on the strength of this track, they were played on BBC London radio where DJ Dan Roberts proclaimed himself a fan when he invited them in for a live session. Loaded Magazine has also hailed them as ?a 2015 band to watch?.

By the time they closed their set with the fury that was ?Mona? the kind of ditty that demands a cowbell to heighten the trance, each hadWORKED up a sweat. Robertson gave up glimpses of Ginger Baker as he drummed standing up with a wily flamboyance. Davies and Macdonald faced and played off each other like Lennon and McCartney while Lewis got lost in the jam head down, crouched over like a young virtuoso, calling on the ghost of Hendrix.

These boys were not playing live with the cool detachment that we?ve come to expect from their heroes, the Arctic Monkeys but a whiskey-soaked rawness and reverie of Cavern-day Beatles - loose-limbed and heads bobbing.

The young band had squeezed in three live shows on the West Coast in between studio time with Talmy who is also present at the gig tonight. After their set, a quick interview revealed that their EP is expected in May. "Hopefully, there'll be 4, 5 or 6 songs. Any less and I'll be disappointed," said Robertson. "We haveWORKED with three different producers and each has a very different personality that affects the mood in the room."

"Shel gave us comments about structure of the song. But mostly it was about the five of us in the room. You can't bottle that but you can try and capture it and I think they all did it in their own way with us."

With such an old sound how do they intend on not becoming just another revival band? "We've made a record 10 times more modern with Shel than with Nick and Kevin Lagunas whose combined ages still don't add up to Shel's," insists Lewis.

When asked who would be their dream act to open for? ?Arctic Monkeys? replied Macdonald and Robertson. ?The White Stripes? and ?The Revolution? are Lewis? choices. As Davies was elsewhere, they eventually hazard a guess for their bandmate, that it's Australian psych-rockers, Jagwar Ma. To which Robertson remarked, ?Yeah maybe Jagwar Ma would be cooler?, before he relented ?...nah, definitely the Arctic Monkeys.?

Added Macdonald: ?We grew up watching and listening to the Arctic Monkeys as kids and opening for them would be a dream. Alex Turner is a legend, as a lyricist he should be up there with the best ? Dylan and Lennon.?

So they don?t prescribe to Noel Gallagher?s recent proclamation that he would rather drink petrol that listen to the Arctic Monkeys? ?No. I don?t believe that. I love Noel and Oasis but he must have a new album coming out that he wants to promote.?

To the detractors that like to lament the death of rock over EDM, perhaps there's hope that the Hidden Charms can lead the charge by revving up rock for their generation.

To follow Hidden CharmsASCENT, please click here. The band are currently touring with The Mavericks in the UK and have some support dates with Hanni El Khatib. For aFREE DOWNLOAD of their single 'Sunny Side' on Soundcloud, clickhere.

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