The Takeover UK preview

The Takeover UK
Beat Kitchen, Chicago
Sunday, November 2, 2008

It’s a bit jarring to discover that quartet The Takeover UK don’t actually reside in some far-off, across-the-pond location. These young fellas grew up right here in the U.S. of A. Pittsburgh to be exact.

The five tracks on their It’s All Happening EP (Ryko) pay homage to modern British Invasion groups and take more than a few cues from former kings of New York, The Strokes. “Don’t Wait Up” rides on the coattails of “Last Nite,” while opening track “Lean On It” melds Franz Ferdinand’s crisp delivery with a smattering of the Ramones’ trashy sneer.

Frontman Nic Snyder and guitarist Mark Solomich share songwriting duties. Like other musical writing partners of yore (Jagger/Richards, Lennon/McCartney, Bon Jovi/Sambora) Snyder and Solomich craft winning, fervent melodies. While a “Yesterday” or “Sympathy For The Devil” fails to appear on this small introductory collection, the ass-shaking sector of the audience won’t notice the lack of depth in the lyrics.

The Von Bondies headline.

— Janine Schaults

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly