Heartland

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Last Gang
In short: the Yorkshire Clash

What's in a name? Wakefield's upstart punks were originally called Last Gang in Town, after Marcus Gray's biography of the Clash. The trouble was, everyone they knew shortened it to Last Gang, and so the band followed suit. The result? Major labels sniffing around.

The four members - Kristian Walker (vocals, guitar), Maff Smith (bass, vocals), Ritchie Townend (guitar, vocals) and Matt Knee (drums) - do have the gang mentality of bands such as the Clash and the Who, getting involved in endless scrapes and immortalising them in song. October's debut single Beat of Blue (on the small Leeds label 48 Crash) saw them crying out: "You're going home in the back of a police van" over a ridiculously catchy melody, which saw them hurriedly snapped up by Sony, the label that owns the Clash back catalogue.

Comparisons are not inappropriate. Like Strummer and co, Last Gang specialise in head-rushing harmonies and are more than capable of experimenting with reggae; the Rock Against Racism logo features prominently on their myspace site. However, their sound has a poppier edge, referencing other British pop hallmarks such as Madness, the Housemartins and Buzzcocks. Stepping up into major-label territory is a quantum leap from their feverish gigs in pubs, but the band has some killer tunes and a bittersweet northern effervescence that may take them from Wakefield to the world.
Dave Simpson

Hear them: http://www.myspace.com/lastganguk

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