The Heebie Jeebies

Misery Guts

Everything On Toast & Blame Television

Released: Monday 6 September 2010

I first had the pleasure of hearing 'Misery Guts' by The Heebie Jeebies on the video for the song. It is mad, to say the least. Okay, the production values do seem fairly low-budget, especially the video but, just like when someone goes to the effort and has the creativity to make you a card for your birthday, a makeshift video always deserves credit, unless it is awful or offensive, or both...

A bit about the band then - They are from Rotherham and are made up of Owen Adams on vox and the guitar, Thomas Barnett membranophone (a musical snob's drum) and Del Hoyle on bass and backing vox. They were apparently 'talent spotted' by Vogue, whatever that means, and have been recommended by the likes of the Steel City's very own Richard Hawley as well as Jarvis Cocker.

Owen Adams sounds a lot like Pete Doherty when he sings and so you can probably guess that when 'Misery Guts' really gets going, it would not sound out-of-place on The Libertines' eponymously named album.

I would suggest avoiding the video before you have listened to 'Misery Guts', because it is an acquired taste. You might have seen The Heebie Jeebies on their recent tour which finished on September 4 in Dundee, and I imagine The Heebie Jeebies are a band who would be best-appreciated seen live. However, there is enough invention and juice in The Heebie Jeebies' debut single to offer hope that their soon-to-arrive debut album will deliver something interesting.