The Seagulls. Left to right, Geoff Brehaut, Pete Le Maitre and Geoff Denton. (0956925)

A new band has emerged on the scene.

The Seagulls are a three-piece made up of singer and bassplayer Pete Le Maitre, guitarist and vocalist Geoff Brehaut and drummer Geoff Denton. And they have released a 14-track CD called Crying Line.

To be honest, I approached reviewing this CD with some trepidation.

Two of the band members, Pete and Geoff [Brehaut], were previously in groups that leant pretty much towards the blues with long jams and solo, and much as I enjoy the odd John Lee Hooker cover I’d prefer not to listen to a dozen or so tracks where I can count the guitar solo in before I’ve heard the whole song.

However, as the title track of Crying Line began playing, I was pleasantly surprised.

The simple melodic pop sound, the chorus effect on the guitar, the harmonies, The Seagulls… could this be a thinly veiled reverence to The Byrds? In fact the chords in the first song, Crying Line, are a nod to the Byrds’ I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better.

But the comparisons do not end there; throughout the CD, I could hear, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams, The Eagles, besides others…

The Seagulls’ songs are accessible and at the same time familiar, though not too derivative. Their sound is country meets the West Coast, via St Saviour’s and has a definite summer feel about it.

The band’s influences are blatantly evident, with the ghosts of Buddy Holly and Hank Williams haunting many of the tracks. The former can be heard in the tracks Last Yesterday and the Not Fade Away-inspired tune Innocent Mirror, the latter in many of the CD’s tracks, in particular One More Ticket To Ride – and in fact the Hank Williams’ song You Win Again rounds off the CD.

And the comparisons keep coming: Big Garden, which features Mick Brehaut’s fluid lead guitar, sounds like The Mighty Quinn.

The Ballad of H, a country tune with the ‘take it easy’ refrain, is reminiscent of The Eagles. There’s humour with the tongue-in-cheek country ballad HillBilly Time and thoughtful introspection in the mood-driven Needle & Trick.

Throughout the CD Peter Le Maitre adopts an American twang on most songs, which helps tie-in the whole Buddy Holly/Hank Williams/Byrds and West Coast reference.

Geoff Brehaut’s lead guitar work is impressive and not too overstated.

The structure of the songs are quite basic, and this is no bad thing either as the simple chord changes and catchy choruses mean you’ll be humming along after just a few listens.

Drummer Geoff Denton, whose live drum sound has been skillfully captured by engineer Simon Ellis, has since moved off-island so whether the band will be playing regular gigs remains to be seen. It would be a shame if not as the songs on Crying Line ache to be played live to what would, I’m sure, be an appreciative audience. Thankfully, having avoided volcanic ash, drummer Geoff is back in the island this weekend to join The Seagulls tonight at The Venture Inn. Maybe they’ll have copies of Crying Line with them. Check them out and pick up a copy.

l The Seagulls play The Venture Inn tonight from 8pm.