WORTH A LOOK?: ****1/2
OUT: now
There’s always a sense of trepidation when a friend recommends a song they think you’ll like.
- Read on for reasons including how this band lives up to the Sheffield pop giants that have come before them
What if you don’t like it? What if it’s so bad that it casts your friendship in a new light? What if it reflects a completely mistaken view of your musical taste? We’re happy to report that Mr Humdrum Mum’s skewering of our pop predilection is spot on.
We’ve only been to Sheffield once and it was a life changing experience. In a good way. It’s a city which has already provided some of our favourite groups including Pulp, Human League and ABC.
Quartet the International Teachers of Pop are blessed with the sound of a combination of Pulp at their most commercial whereas vocalist Leonore Wheatley conjures up the pure pop attractions of underrated fellow Steel City favourites Younger Younger 28s.
The Guardian no less describes the band’s sound as ‘invigorating synthpop’ and it’s apt.
Described as an ‘outsider pop/disco project’ its protagonists include Adrian Flanagan, from Moonlandingz and the Eccentric Research Council, plus All Seeing I’s Dean Honer, The Soundcarriers’ Wheatley and Katie Mason.
Don’t Diss The Disco is a glorious confection of electronic beats coalescing into a headlong rush into a singalong chorus. Its middle eight contains a vocal effect that’s pure Confessions-era Madonna.
We’ve had a quick listen to the Teachers’ new album Pop Gossip and while there’s nothing quite so immediate as Don’t Diss The Disco there’s lots of similar uptempo floor fillers to leave you breathless.
We’re particularly keen already on the dance floor charms of Gaslight, Flood The Club and The Red Dots. Even that German-language, uptempo version of a Pink Floyd stinker isn’t as criminal as it sounds.
Mr Humdrum? He knows me so well.
