Harry Paterson

Apart from putting away far too much whisky at Tox Feddy Jake Graham’s birthday party last night (another Lost Weekend, I’m afraid),  the last few days have been notable in one other respect; take a bow, Life Of Mine, a new track that Toxic Federation have played at their last few gigs.

They’ve finally got the song down in the studio and yours truly, having had a sneak preview and a review copy dropped off at Chez Paterson, has been playing the thing to death.

Yeah, me raving about Toxic Federation, not exactly new phenomena, right? But let me tell you, this thing is going to blow you away when the band officially releases it.

Majestic, soaring, poignant and uplifting simultaneously, it’s an absolute belter and if there was any justice in this shallow, X Factor dominated little world, it’d be a hit everywhere. It really is that good.

The band tells me they feel their song writing has a new-found maturity about it and, after hearing the evidence myself, I have to agree. It’s light years away from the sub-Maiden doodling that comprised much of Behind The Mask and it’s hard to believe these are the same guys that wrote On Air. What we have here is nothing less than a great band finding their own voice, their own sound and, as a result, this sounds like pure, unadulterated Toxic Federation and no one else. You can take your hair metal comparisons and stick ‘em where the Sun don’t shine, frankly. It’s quite simply the best thing they’ve written thus far and you are gonna love it. Believe me.

It made an awe-inspiring set closer at Camden recently and I did wonder then how they’d manage to capture digitally the sheer emotional power of the track. Well, they’ve done themselves proud and no mistake. As with all their material, the band have produced it themselves, lead by George Coleman, and they have produced a bona fide masterpiece. The nearest thing they’ve got to a ballad (Too Far excepted, of course), the power and clarity of the recording is superb and while all the band give performances of a jaw-dropping standard, it’s hard not to mention Emms’ vocals. Easily the best thing that young man has committed to disc and the sheer passion and feeling he displays produces tingles along the spine.

Yep, it’s a beauty and coupled with another newbie, Distance, it looks like the next album will be an exponential improvement on As One and I never thought I’d be writing that.

They’re at The Chequers in Breaston next Saturday so get yourselves down there, check out Life Of Mine and then tell me I’m right. You won’t be wrong…