Wild Belle

Is there a worse musical genre than 'Cod Reggae'?

For a few short months in the autumn of 1980, that much-derided terminology actually became synonymous with all things cool. At the time, Blondie's 'The Tide Is High'; the band's fifth UK number one in just two years; almost made it plausible to admit to liking white middle class takes on traditional Jamaican roots-inspired sounds. Sadly, Debbie Harry and co. continued to believe the hype and spent the next twelve months making a whole album of calypso-orientated dross ('The Hunter') by which point the novelty factor had worn off and the end of Blondie phase one was in sight. Nevertheless, UB40 made a career out of such insipid cover versions of old reggae classics despite actually releasing a handful of great singles before realising where the smart money was easier to accumulate. While the likes of Peter Andre, Paul Nicholas and even Eastenders' Sid Owen managed to formulate short-term musical careers of their own peddling a variation of dancehall that can best be described as profusely insulting. It's not big, nor is it clever, yet for some reason no one bothered to tell the Bergman siblings, aka Wild Belle.

Because for forty frankly unlistenable minutes, they've conjured up one of the worst debuts these ears have been subjected to in a very long time. And yet, things could have been so different. Rewind the clock back to May 2012 and Brighton's annual new music jamboree The Great Escape and they were one of last year's great white hopes. The sturdy, taut professionalism of the duo's male half Elliot combined with sister Natalie's alluring presence and distinctive Chicago drawl suggested a bright future if they could create a record worthy of showcasing their undoubted talents.

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