Some bands are definitely born out of time. Since The Wave Pictures emerged from rural Leicestershire in the late 90’s they’ve acted like one of the indie outfits that stalked the previous generation; releasing often, never threatening the mainstream and adored by a chosen few, they’ve come to define their own cult status.
Part of their legend has been the Messianic guitar skills of David Tattersall, a virtuoso who Marc Riley once hailed as the greatest British chord craftsmen of his generation. Gained/Lost is perhaps straitened by the circumstances of it’s making – laid down in just a week with Jim Riley at Rochester’s Ranscombe Studios – but is never introvert enough to suggest a lack of ambition.
Filtering a grab bag of influences and sounds – the most obvious vocally being Tom Verlaine and Lou Reed – the trio are never less than undersold on Tarrersall’s undoubted ability, opener Alice beginning with thirty seconds of strings being stretched before a word is uttered. At it’s best when most raw with The Past Comes Back To Haunt Me’s post Nuggets twang, the swaggering blues rock of You’re My Patient Now, Gained/Lost is more than a one man show, but The Wave Pictures still seem like many before very much like a band very much at home in a niche of one.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 