Misfit Sugar Sweetens A Boys' Club

While the name Islington Boys' Club is the giveaway, the vocals will sometimes make you wonder. Attribute it to the outstanding range of Andy Lovelee, which adds an even greater diversity to a band earning some buzz for its energized live performances.

Formed two years ago by four friends who met on the East London music scene, the quartet moved into a converted church in North London and began practicing what they describe as a post punk sound that deconstructs lo-fi indie rock by the numbers.

There is some truth to it. Every single released blends retro riffs with a modern, industrialized tribal beat to create a swirling, doomed glamor statement. Add in Lovelee's range and their single Misfit Sugar can be as sensual or aggressive as they want.

Misfit Sugar marks the direction of the band.

Case in point. Although the band is promoting the new single Misfit Sugar as the lead-in for its upcoming album this summer, Islington Boys' Club already released a different cut of the single on a compilation album from Silverdoor Records last year.

The single then and the single now are two dramatically different tracks, with the primary contrast in how Lovelee presents the vocals. And the newer arrangement slows down the pace while placing more emphasis on the percussion over the guitar work.

What's striking is the song works either way, and the new cut gives critics even more to talk about. Take a listen to the original Misfit Sugar cut last year.

And then grab the new album-intro version of Misfit Sugar from Soundcloud as a free download. If you like what you hear, turn your attention to Pristine (and I don't mean the terrible remixes the band has loaded up there).

Pristine makes for a second preview.

Misfit Sugar isn't the only Islington Boys' Club single worth a listen. Last year, the band released single Pristine along with the equally acclaimed B-side, Plastic 6. You can catch Pristine as it was meant to be heard on YouTube. It was directed by the multi-talented David Richardson.


Naturally, the video captures Lovelee's gender-bending sense of style, which is cool in that it's all matter of fact much like Bowie once did. The rest of the boys include Daniel Silvester Taylor-Lind (guitar), Drew J. Kennedy (bass) and Ed Pearson (drums).

Along with Pristine, there are a few dozen live cuts of the band, all of them giving a great preview of things to come. It's a long way from their early beginnings in a church, deconsecrated in 1958, and converted into a boys' club (which is how they got their name).

Misfit Sugar By Islington Boys' Club Rattles 8.9 On Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

Islington Boys' Club is a band to watch. In an interview late last year, the band ran down the gauntlet of some of their influences, with references to a mix of 60s British rock, American indie, New Wave punk, and a touch of electronic — all of which can be heard in their unique sound.

For a free download of the new version of Misfit Sugar by Islington Boys' Club, visit Soundcloud. The original cut of Misfit Sugar in on iTunes (track 20). You can also find Pristine on iTunes. Pristine/Plastic 16 is also listed at Amazon.