Palma Violets - Step Up For The Cool Cats

It’s not often you’ll find opinions are worth listening to on Youtube, but oddly when it comes to Palma Violets there’s often more sane comment than to be found elsewhere.

‘So what they’re hyped?’ One smart cookie exclaims. ‘It’s for a reason. This is exciting music that can move people and as far as i’m concerned, anyone who goes out of their way to look for new music with the intention of being a harsh critic is just wasting their time looking to be mighty by showing they’re above hype.

‘This is fun, it’s fresh, it’s exciting, so I’m gonna listen to this another 100 times while the critics can sit in front of their computers with a frown.’

It’s a bloody good point. If a band is exciting or not should not be measured by who can be the most cynical, but rather their effect on actual, real life people. Those - young or old - that go to gigs, buy records and invest their heart in something for keeps. And not just one particular demographic. It’s not just for those who have tread the beaten path so long they’ve seen it all before. If that’s your criteria, then Palma Violets more than make the cut. Rabid shows, fans going wild - they’re not reinventing the wheel, but that’s kind of the point.

Like all potentially important bands, there’s an extra edge to most things Palma Violets do. An effortless shrug that with many of their peers would appear all too deliberate, ‘Step Up For The Cool Cats’ exemplifies just why they’re getting a new generation hot under the collar. It’s something The Libertines would do infuriatingly well, but here it seems even purer.

Of course, any praise for a band like this will garner it’s fair share of grumbling snobs, but when seen for what they are it’s almost impossible to hate on Palma Violets. With a drawling vocal, stomping beat and fuzzy organ, this is rock and roll. When complaining about another batch of column inches for The Libertines or Oasis, are they expecting the line to end with them? While some will wish it would, it was never on the cards.

‘You got me dancing in the sun,’ the refrain echoes. It’s hardly the most complex message, but it’s got a wild abandon that fits perfectly. By the time that ‘Step Up For The Cool Cats’ reaches it’s crescendo it’s more than justified it’s billing. At least for those it should. Not everything is for you, Granddad.