The Hedrons — One More Won’t Kill Us

Glasgow grrrl band The Hedrons are a bit of an live favourite amongst the Alternative Nation staff, playing trashy good-time rawk’n’roll in sweatboxes of venues around town for the past year or so. Their debut album’s lacking something though. The Hedrons strike all the right poses, play all the right chords (and restrict themsleves to just two or three per song, like all good pop bands should), but somehow One More Won’t Kill Us leaves me cold.

The guitars crunch satisfyingly in stop-start riffs that bring to mind everybody from Wire to Sugar, Elastica to The Paddingtons. Just the sort of indie/punk that works well with crisp production, precise shotgun drumming, and simple, clean basslines. All of which are present and correct. Vocalist Tippi has a voice to kill for, drawling like Joan Jett and yowling like Kathleen Hannah, but capable of carrying a proper tune between times.

Like I said, all the pieces are in place. It’s maybe a little too perfect, if anything. The album is so polished that it brings to mind that saccharine-sweet Disney movie of Josie & the Pussycats from a few years ago, when I get the feeling that The Hedrons would rather remind me of Bikini Kill. There’s not a note out of place, but it’s those out of place moments that make a good song great—the off-kilter desperation that makes a punk band sound like they mean it.

All that said, listening to The Hedrons is a pleasant experience. Heatseeker is as poppy as they come, Sympathy gives a hint of what The Buzzcocks might have sounded like if they were female, Bad Charm chugs along like a pissed-off indie rocker trying to get into a cute punker’s pants, and on Place Like This, the girls actually pull a great singalong out of the hat, even though the lyrics are somewhat lacklustre.

One More Won’t Kill Us isn’t a great album, but there is one very good reason to pick yourself up a copy: To get used to the songs, learn the tunes, and pick up the choruslines ready for their next gig. Live, The Hedrons are a spitting furball of drunken punk rock energy. They bounce, they spit, they scream, they smile, and above all they make you dance and grin like an idiot.

[Woolies]

I often find that about great bubblegum pop punkish bands that it really isn't quite the same on production CDs, it's all technically fine but the punk element of live shows is lost somewhat without the rough edges being left in there.

Turning up loud enough to wreck your speakers with the distortion helps

[Connor O'Bain]

The title track "one more wont kill us" is available as a free download on i-tunes at the moment.

[poprock]

It is nice to see a vaguely independent Glasgow band get a proper PR push.

[Woolies]

The Hedron's are doing a set of Fopp in-stores this week.

Check them out for wee live sets & album signings:

Tue 13
Edinburgh (Rose Street) 1pm
Glasgow (Union Street) 5pm
Wed 14
Manchester 1pm
Nottingham 5pm
Thu 15
Cambridge 1pm
London (Camden) 5pm
Fri 16
Cardiff 1pm
Bath (Westgate) 5pm

[Placeboboy]

just a random comment, one of them used to work in ntl in bellshill im sure

[Zero]

*bump*

Just saw that their album is under £5 at iTunes at the moment.

[MarkMono]

Have the photos been changed for this article?

[Woolies]

nope, that's the article & pics as always has been. Second pic is one of mine for altnation from The Hedron's slot at the QMU Fresher's Week last year

More of the Hedron's Freshers Week here.