Boy Kill Boy
Civilian
(Island)
Unlike the usual teenage acts that emerge on a wave of hype from British shores every three months or so, the latest indie hopefuls to hail from East London look like they could be the Killers' dads.
A few receding hairlines hide beneath Boy Kill Boy's trademark floppy, fly-mo fringes. Yet the artery-bursting pace of the synth-rock that shapes their debut successfully straddles generations in its debt to both Killers frontman Brandon Flowers and Duran Duran's arch dandy, Simon Le Bon.
Early Cure also floats around the mix. It makes for some occasionally raucous moments when the band really takes off - On and On and Suzie,in particular, exhibit the kind of catchiness that has landed them acclaim back home and made them a festival favourite. Yet there's also a sense that singer Chris Peck, along with bassist Kevin Chase, keyboardist Pete Carr and guitarist Shaz, aren't being strident enough.
