Music review – The Begbies ‘Off the Cuff’

March 24, 2012 6:01 pm

by James Plumb of New Edinburgh Music – The Begbies – Off The Cuff

This West Lothian four piece hand us their latest offering in the form of a three track record. With echoes of The Jam, The View and (dare I say it) Biffy Clyro, these Livi lads hold it together well, contrary to their Trainspotting namesake’s character.

We begin with “Off The Cuff”, a ska inspired guitar riff intro building up to a typically punky record. Stuart’s vocals here are reminiscent of Kyle Falconer if he was a chain smoker – not a bad thing. I can see this track being something of an anthem to their loyal army of followers.

Next up is “Ballad”, a short but sweet head-nodder. Ross on drums makes the most of his frantic cow bell to complement Liam’s raw guitar sounds, giving us a Pixies feel. The vocals are again husky and pronounced and there’s a sweet little bass line interwoven throughout but this track is all about the guitar and drums for me – and they sound like they’re having fun!

We close with “White Feather”, a nice soft conclusion to this short EP. I can see this making a great set finisher when played live as there is a slow, steady beat with plenty of opportunity for audience interaction. Probably my favourite of the three tunes on offer, I enjoy the feel of the cascading lead guitar in between verses, backed by the subtle bass and ride cymbal.

Overall, I feel these boys have a fair amount of potential and seem to be going the right way about it, with headline gigs at King Tut’s and The Captain’s Rest surely doing them no harm. I look forward to catching them live in the near future and suggest you all do the same.

Let’s just hope Francis Begbie isn’t in attendance, or (in the Trainspotting vernacular) nae **** will be leaving!