Ally Carnwath 

Tribes: Baby – review

Billed as grunge revivalists, Tribes' debut falls some way short of its influences, says Ally Carnwath
  
  


There might be some justification to Tribes' billing as grunge revivalists if their debut didn't sound so English. True, there's a Seattle-derived chug to opener "Whenever" and "Himalaya" strains for the stadium pomp of Smashing Pumpkins. But Johnny Lloyd's vocals – part street-urchin husk, part theatrical flounce – and a fondness for grubby London vignettes mean they could just as easily be Libertines acolytes with distortion pedals. And although they mix styles enough to semi‑redeem themselves, they're still some way short of living up to their influences.

 

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