Reviewed by Catherine Francis

This six-piece folk band from Somerset, who played to enthusiastic audiences at this year's Greenbelt and Soul Survivor, is another of the many bands emerging to follow in the footsteps of Eden Burning and The Levellers. The production on this, the band's first, home-produced six-song tape, is undeniably rough, but this somehow adds to the raw feel often found missing on the recordings of bands whose live performance is their forte. The Hats make good use of violin, flute and didgeridoo (yes, really), to put together a rather intriguing collection of songs, with a frequent ethnic feel and the compulsory homage paid to reels and jigs. Listen to 'Famous For Seamus' and you would be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled across an early Eden Burning demo. Die-hard folkies should check it out or, even better, catch The Hats live.

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