Down and Outs
Lifeline
Boss Tuneage
Not to be confused with similar named Down’n’outz who have members of Def Leppard and Quireboys in their ranks, Liverpools Down and outs are pretty much the anthisesis of your quintessential rock band. 10 years on the go, this is their fourth album, released last November but still worth a mention.
Their sound is a mash up of Replacements, Leatherface UK guitar hardcore mixed with Wedding Present indie jangle and a spoonful of power pop along the way. I can smell those three along with the jam and the clash and maybe green day sneaking in for a snarl every now and then if they can get past the senseless things hanging around the corner. They sing “Waking Up – it ain’t getting easy.” but they lie as it sure can be if Down and Outs are on the alarm clock
Let me take you to a different place. Being a father of three kids, two of whom play a lot of sport, I am fairly involved in Juvenile football. I coach a team and have done so for the past 6 years. We have a philosophy that as the kids want to play football we give them all a chance. We will never set out to win a league or do anything to win a game. All the kids play and we win or lose together. As the kids start to spend more time wondering or worrying about their hairstyle or their abercrombie tops we persisit in tyring to give them equal time on the pitch. If the result of a match is the scoreline at the end then don’t ask about the result. Most teams we play against have a differenet philosophy. Yeah, kids a renaturally competitive but the adults we face on the sideline aren’t trying to teach their kids fairness. They are living out their sporting fantasys through the kids, making up for that league they didn’t win in their youth.
What’s this got to do with Down and Outs? Not a lot except Down and Outs are on my team, they are trying their best and will never be good enough to sell multi plainum records. They are doing what they love and I admire them for that. I also get to enjoy their sounds which is a bonus
