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Formed in late 2014, Those Handsome Animals were “born out of a frustration of modern music.” Tired of hearing the same music over and over again. Which you would think is original. But not for these guys fresh on stage sounding pretty good. The group including; Gavin Hankins – Guitar, Thomas D. Millett – Vocals/Guitars, Thomas Beavis – Bass, Gary Batt – Percussion all working together in harmony to create a sounds in debt to the 70’s with inspiration from the likes of Status Quo.
To modern day music I think they sound a little bit like Lower Than Atlantis with the heavy guitars and clashing drums are a good vibe that we don’t often see.
‘Doing Fine’, the opening track on debut EP Hits, pulls off the unlikely Quo-Cars fusion with remarkable success. Millett works his own distinctly British version of Ric Ocasek city swagger into his vocals, whilst the guitar tandem of himself and Hankins strikes a fine balance between boogie rock and Cars new wave. Throw in a few solos that wouldn’t have been out of place. You’ve got a hint of The Vaccines style indie-garage rock, which I must say The Vaccines are amazing, so you can tell there’s some more cool tunes on the way.
‘Right For The City’ a bouncy, back and forth guitar flicking beat with a harmonious melody from Millett and Hankins, rumbling bass from Beavis and fantastically casual drumming from Batt coming together to form a sound like The Pigeon Detectives 2008 album ‘Emergency’.
Where Those Handsome Animals have an edge over those long-expired indie rock giants, however, they genuinely do revive the sounds of the past. From the times hard-rocking guitar solos to Millett’s undeniably cool new wave-inspired vocals, retro is a constant theme of Those Handsome Animals’ sound. Everybody loves retro, no matter how old you are.
When can you see them next?: 8th July @ Surya, King Cross
