Review of the New EP on Maps
Click the link http://www.mapsmagazine.co.uk

It's really interesting to read what you said on the page at http://www.mapsmagazine.co.uk/swear%20ik%2B%20akira%20luxembourg.htm Being part of Southend's "Junk" scene has brought me into contact with many of the current crop of Next Big Things. Many of the band members were friends of mine before they even picked up guitars, so it's been difficult to shed any bias when listening to their music. However, I subscribe to the Lester Bangs theory. Honesty MUST win out over nepotism. If someone is good, I'll compliment them, but the reverse is also true. I don't want to see my friends disappear up their own arseholes because of slavish idol-worship by idiotic scenester kids and overly positive reviews from fanzine writers that are little more than groupies. To this end, I have been open in my criticism of bands like The Horrors, Wretched Republica and These New Puritans. The band members are great people, often with more musical talent than I could dream of, but I fear their egos are being stroked way too much at such an early stage of their careers. I want them to be successful, but I'll lose respect for them if they bow to the pressure to be vapid NME fodder. The whole "scene" was founded on punk attitudes (anti-establoshment rebelliousness) but seems to have disentegrated into a shallow mess in which haircuts are more important than lyrics or catchy guitar riffs. This is why it's a great shame that bands like The Swear (who avctually have something to say and a radio-friendly way of saying it) fall by the wayside.