Musicians from England’s south-western extremities have always had to shout a little louder for attention. Due to scant musical infrastructure, geographical remoteness from and cultural bias towards the media heartlands of London and the north, many a promising young band has withered away beyond the final leg of the M5. Falmouth has long been one of the oases for the region’s groups, thanks to venues like the late Pirate and the presence of a large art college. And now the Cornish town has produced a scene buzzy enough for the NME to dub it ‘the Kernow Wave’.
Central to the county’s take on garage-rock revivalism are Lost Dawn, who release their debut album this week and, judging by ‘Song For Robert’, probably aren’t ones to have dwelt too profoundly on whether their cut-off locale has been a hindrance to success. The track revolves around a guitar lick you’ll be familiar with from Norman Greenbaum through T. Rex to BRMC, but is delivered with a chunky swagger, laconic vocal and raunchy vibe that acts as a starting pistol to roll the good times. The video, too, could be interpreted as a commentary on the complications of the heart or the incestuous nature of band relations, but is likely just an excuse for Lost Dawn’s members and mates to have a helluva night. That the grin-raising glam-rock of Lost Dawn is busting out the wild west frontiers should spur some of the UK edge territory’s other bands, often complicit in their own comfortable obscurity, to start hollering with more conviction.
Lost Dawn is out now on Easy Action.
Words by Nick Mee. Follow @Nickjmee on Twitter
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