Devastating garage swamp boogie from The Queen City.
The Lions Rampant – Lights On by CrashAvenue
Letting your freak flag fly at more than half-mast is a way of life for THE LIONS RAMPANT. This edgy, blues infused, garage rock, pseudo pop three-piece sings their way through a storybook of life’s ups and downs with unfettered energy and all the gritty details, mauling the Midwestern music scene and dragging it right back where it belongs: in your face. It’s Fun To Do Bad Things, their full-length debut, is a testament to what it’s like to be youthful, adventurous, carefree and fun. With the spice and drive of 60′s guitar licks and lyrics not unlike those of The Clash, The Lions Rampant make themselves known with a collection of crisp and wildly soulful melodies that will whisk your rock-ready ears back a decade…or three. But fear not, It’s Fun To Do Bad Things promises a lasting rock fix that delivers again and again, as timeless as their influences. One view of their new music video for the single “Lights On” and you get the picture. The Lions Rampant remind us what rock and roll is truly about at the most organic level.
“On Bad Things, we wanted to expand our musical horizons and focus tighter on songwriting while still remaining true to our wild and free rock n roll / punk rock beginnings. The album is a celebration of figuring out love and pushing one’s boundaries,” says frontman and vocalist Stuart Mackenzie. “It tells the story of a young romantic and his search for love, taking things to the limit, enjoying the nightlife, falling in and out of love. These songs are a ‘diary’ of sorts…definitely a coming of age for us. The album title is a tongue-in-cheek. Rock n’ roll has always been about bad behavior as The Shangrilas once said. But we’re not what you would call ‘bad evil’ of course. The Lions Rampant us definitely ‘good evil.’ And that’s what this record is all about…” adds Mackenzie.
“They transcend gritty garage cliches through sheer tunefulness and fun vocal interplay.” – 30music
“The Lions Rampant play with the heartfelt soul that embodied the earliest rock of the ’60s.” – Alt Weekly
“Catchy and infinitely entertaining, The Lions Rampant is Rock N Roll at its most raw and impulsive.” – City Beat
For fans of: The Black Keys, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Dirtbombs, The Kinks, MC5
