Strap in. Strap on. And get ready to get moist! In the sexiest telephone-sex voice they could find, this is the opening 30” of the debut album “The Sex” from Northampton’s The Big Dirty.
And strap in is right, as Hold My Beer launches the first of nine new tracks with the band delivering as we fully expected- raunchy, rocky, and Full! On! Oh, you thought you’d heard it all? Well hold my beer, you ain’t heard nothing yet!
Dirty Rider follows in the same vein, seated nicely as the second* track and maintaining the pace so far established for both this record and their party-hard rock-harder attitude. You wanna hear us scream? Well keep this up and it won’t take long!
Their now-signature tune from their live spots Whiskey Pistol follows. Let’s party like there’s a pandemic happening and fuck the consequences! There is an underlying theme, to which I alluded in my comments about the single. Or is it underlying? You be the judge!
Love with the Lights Off delivers a nice, meaty hook through the chorus and some flare and colour throughout. You can see the punters at live gigs singing along during the middle-eight while James claps over his head to encourage them along.
Take It Slow is as smutty as the title suggests. But then it kicks in, unexpectedly, like a steamy sex session that changes tempo to suit the roll and writhe of the couple as they build together to the end. I am now expecting a climax at the finish—…
All Night Long is the afterglow from Take It Slow. Are they going to go again?
Devil Woman, not a Cliff Richard cover, suggests that maybe they were going to go again, but she’s reversed roles and called it while she gets dressed to avoid the Walk Of Shame if she leaves it any later. A rapid-paced 12-bar riff that maintains, perhaps, the follow-on from Take It Slow … or perhaps it’s a separate session with someone else, followed by some sort of trip because, after all, she’s just a twisted sister who will put you out of your mind!
Rhythm of my Drum changes pace with Toby and James laying the foundation for Chris and James to build upon, and then bang, we’re back into it through several tempo and mood changes to keep us guessing where they’re going to take us next. If you thought this brought about some deja vu, you were right: this is their second single from back in May 2017 and how good is it to hear that again?!
Hush is not quiet at all, returning us to the vein established before Lights Off with vocal calisthenics as used by Phil Collins in 1991 on I Can’t Dance.
Sensual Lover is the intermission between the second and third acts of this record. The song rocks as per my comments from its release and I would venture to bet that they toed and fromed about its placement on the record for quite some time before putting it here. Should the intermission have been earlier?
Lightweight Champion opens the third and final act while poking fun at someone with the same vehemence as Queen’s Death On Two Legs but turning it in on itself, or maybe disguising it by making it about themselves.
Wham Bam! Thank you, ma’am. What a way to finish a record! A quasi overture of what we’ve experienced thus far and leaving us wishing for more, pressing the repeat button, or reliving previous releases through their various online platforms.
We have been teased over the years with “Sex City” and intervening singles, and in one way we have been prepared for the quality of this record, but we’re still overwhelmed by it. Chris, James, T-dog, and James, welcome to the Big Time! Success awaits!!
The Big Dirty, we salute you!!