Sergeant Buzfuz
Album: Balloons For Thin Linda
Label: Blang
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.sergeantbuzfuz.com

Imagine if Billy Bragg and The Beatles collaborated together then Sergeant Buzfuz would be the result of that.

The quirky sounding, folk loving and pop culture reference using band from London are a fall of the shelf and look good at doing it kind of band.

Their music is catchy and brightens up any sunny day yet with a poignant message to their songs, often bringing in political connotations.

I am sure they will correct me if I am wrong but Balloons For Thin Linda appears to tell a story about a journey through London. I particularly enjoy the track of S6 Girls, possibly a clever way of referencing Essex Girls but not so directly. This track is the perfect result of the imagined collaboration between Bragg and The Beatles, full of references such as "S6 Girls in the bathroom squeezing into skirts" and "queuing outside the club in gauze and threads" are situations that all girls who have a night on the tiles will recognise. And music that is reminiscent of The Beatles this track, it will certainly get in your head.

I appreciate the fact that the music tells a story and relates to people's lives as in the track of Danny's Room "Another Day, Another Life, traffic slows for the exit, the butcher watching with his knife, the better shop has emptied. About a 15 year old boy who may have died or left a family to move on, the parents are deliberating what to do with his things. Sound familiar? Such a sombre song.

Sergeant Buzfuz are creative and inventive with a quirky edge they are certainly flying to the charts with this balloon.

Gemma Hirst