The Datsuns: Deep Sleep

Weird ‘n’ loud Kiwis continue to impress.

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When in 2001 they appeared in the rock firmament like a burning star made of guitars and screaming, The Datsuns bestrode a strange new world of Scandinavian and New Zealand garage rock, influenced by everything from The Stooges to AC/DC.

Time passes, however, and bands grow up in strange directions. Not that Deep Sleep overdoes the great leaps forward, except perhaps the slightly odd one betokened by vocalist Dolf De Borst’s somewhat Jobriath-y singing, which works best on the title track, an almost psychedelic drone, reminiscent of Black Sabbath attempting a metal raga.

Elsewhere there’s the brilliantly-titled glam shuffle of Claw Machine, the scrambling charge of Looking Glass Lies, and the Deep Purple on Purple Hearts of Shaky Mirrors. Add in the monster rock single Bad Taste and you have an album for all the family – if your family are weird and loud.

David Quantick

David Quantick is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former staff writer for the music magazine NME, his writing credits have included On the HourBlue JamTV Burp and Veep; for the latter of these he won an Emmy in 2015.