Reviewed by Josh Dipple

When the UK's Split Level called it a day singer/songwriter Adrian Thompson found there was still a big following in Germany for his punchy rock anthems and so formed The Joy Brigade with bassist Mark Prentice and drummer Paul Evans to undertake a short European tour. Now, years on, engineer, producer and head of 7Core Music Trevor Michael has rescued these previously unreleased tracks and with a bit of re-mastering released them as a digital EP. It was well worth the effort. The edgy rock demonstrated on the opening title track carries through the rest of the short, four song set, recorded at the legendary ICC studios, showing off the abilities of the band very much in tune with the rock sounds of the day. "Salt Water" in particular has a distinct similarity to what Delirious? were doing at the time, a band that Evans would later go on to join. "Talk Show" puts the bands clear ability to write a catchy hook front and centre, followed by the premature closer "Simpler" which one can imagine being played in vast arenas in some parallel timeline. Indeed, for those who like to imagine the path not taken, this is real food for thought, not to mention a treat for those who just like quality stadium rock music.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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