Damage Control is the brainchild of a couple of stalwarts of the British rock music scene – Pete Way and Robin George, who have both been banging out top quality albums since way back when. For this latest excursion, they have added ex- AC/DC drummer Chris Slade and everyone’s favourite Geordie, Spike from The Quireboys, on vocals. 

The songs are an eclectic mix of rockers, bluesy numbers and high-quality slower tracks. The quality of songwriting and lyrics is absolutely superb throughout. 

The album kicks off with “Dead Man Walking”, which begins with some guitar wailing and some mournful outpourings by Spike, which soon gives way to a full-on rock assault. This is followed up by “Savage Songs” with a fantastic driving guitar riff which powers the track along to a catchy chorus. 

“Alice” opens with a great, heavy riff and contains my favourite chorus and some of the best lyrics on the entire album. A corker of a song. The tempo drops for “Selfish”, a knowing lament for anyone who has ever been taken for a ride in a relationship. Another great track. 

The mood lightens and the pace picks up for “C’mon Down”, a real old fashioned rocker, reminiscent of The Stones or Faces on which Spike seems to feel really at home, hardly surprising given the similarities in style to many a Quireboys song. 

The track “Damage Control” deals with all kinds of addiction, whilst “Victim” is a superb ballad which again highlights Spike’s ability to portray heart wrenching emotions like few other modern singers. 

“Raw” and “One Step Closer” show the quality and variety in Robin George’s songwriting in particular, the first an up-tempo rocker and the second a laid-back bluesy number. Both excellent, but completely different in style. 

“Redundant” is the track that is still going round in my head after two plays and may well be my favourite of the whole album. It’s just beautifully written, catchy as hell and absolutely perfect for Spike’s best throaty rasp to come to the fore. 

“Seven Golden Daffodils”, a bluesy reworking of the old Brothers Four song is next and is for me perhaps the weakest track on the album which closes with “Bitching Blues” which, unsurprisingly given the title, is another blues-inspired track featuring a splendid drum solo as it draws to a close. 

Damage Control is British rock at its finest. Intelligent lyrics, superbly crafted songs, great performances by every musician and Spike’s unique vocal delivery. I don’t know whether any gigs are planned, but I for one will be there if they materialise.