The Flaws

As far as writing predominantly about emerging alternative music in Ireland, and more often than not around indie/shoegaze/punk music for that matter, it has been only a matter of time before I felt obliged to write something about The Flaws here. I've actually been avoiding saying something about them for quite a while now, as, it seems, everyone else is already going on about The Flaws - the latest and greatest indie/shoegaze/punk band to grace these lands (sic). For those not in the know, the Flaws are a four-piece band from Monaghan in Ireland, and have been growing quite rapidly in stature over the last few years, culminating in the signing of a five album deal with Polydor last December. Following the release of their 'No Room' single earlier this year, they set about working on the first of those albums, which to the best of my knowledge is due sometime early next year. It will undoubtedly sell by the ton, although I'll not be one of the punters buying it.


With The Flaws you get a quite full shoegaze-rock sound similar to the likes of Editors, which they've toured with before, and the vocals are close to the Bowie cast, or somewhere between Bowie and an early Radiohead perhaps. The Flaws do have their flaws however. I don't think there's anything particularly daring about their sound. It sits safely in the mid-zone for the genre and the vocals are too crystallized for a rock band for my liking. Actually, while I'd expect their debut album to do well, unless they think hard about direction, I can see them petering out long before they reach the end of that five album deal. Harsh words perhaps, but it all sounds just a bit too uninspired. As a band billed as one of the leading lights of the genre in Ireland, they are simply not up to it in my book, and while The Flaws get the hype, there are far more inspired/imaginative bands on the circuit being overlooked (I won't list them all here - dig through the archives here and discover them for yourself).

Perhaps if I could get beyond what I'd term a 'proud' vocal, their loud but humable alt-rock and full-on sound does have its merits, even if their songwriting doesn't particularly push any boundaries for me. They complete quite a successful Nov/Dec tour of the country with a number of gigs over the festive period, details to which can be found on their myspace. Expect a UK tour in the new year.

Related Links:

http://www.myspace.com/theflawsmusic

http://www.theflaws.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flaws