Skaters – Manhattan

Ignore the shuffle of primitive syn-drums that raise the curtain here. They’re little more than a flutter of false promise, swiftly giving way to the Strokes-ish garage rocker One Of Us. Indeed, Casablancas and co. prove to be a far more accurate barometer of where this transatlantic trio’s hearts truly lie, and however strong the choruses to Miss Teen Massachusetts and Symptomatic may be, it’s worth asking the following question: why on earth would anyone want to harken back unto the glory days of landfill indie (at this stage, you may want to note the presence of Josh Hubbard from sub-Libertines chancers The Paddingtons)?

Manhattan certainly has its moments – in particular, the hardcore-paced Nice Hat offers some much-needed rough’n’tumble amidst the Killers melodies and half-hearted stabs at dub-via-XTC – but ultimately this strand of indie felt tired and hollow a decade ago, and nothing’s changed. Time to move on, lads.