This Ain't Vegas...

Around three years ago I remember checking and reading through various online zines that I frequent and reading a review for the album The Night Don Benito Saved My Life by This Ain’t Vegas. At the time I didn’t know it was their second album, but after listening to the aforementioned disc it would compel me to seek out more and thankfully I did. Their debut Black Lung Captain is absolutely worth listening to as well.

After hearing This Ain't Vegas back in ’05 or so it seemed like that was really the last time I heard about them or even read about them. Probably has something to do with the fact that I don’t live in the UK where they call home and formed in 2001 in Sunderland. That and the band has adamantly stuck to their guns when it comes to maintaining their presence in the UK underground indie-rock scene while peers within the scene have since went on to larger labels and larger fanbases. However, as far as I know they are still alive and kicking as they just released a 7 inch through the Longest Mile label at the end of last year.

While they are often mentioned alongside the likes of The Futureheads and Maximo Park due to their locale, This Ain’t Vegas are largely more aggressive than any of those bands and really in my opinion have little to do with each other in terms of sound. The band really draws a good portion of it’s musical style from the mid to late nineties Dischord camp, think Q and Not U and Bluetip and you’ve got a pretty good idea where these guys are coming from and obviously why they grabbed the attention of my ears in the first place. They are tuneful, but hardly restrained with a sound that would likely appeal to anyone that enjoys a solid dose of post-punk/post-hardcore. I just hope they have one more album in them.

Black Lung Captain:
This Ain’t Vegas – Your Name is a Real One [MP3]

The Night Don Benito Saved My Life:
This Ain’t Vegas – Always a Trial [MP3]

For those interested in picking up releases by This Ain’t Vegas, then check out Amazon for The Night Don Benito Saved My Life as they still have copies available. Black Lung Captain can apparently still be had either through Amazon UK or the bands MySpace page.