Barb Wire Dolls

RUB MY MIND

| MOTÖRHEAD MUSIC |

Lemmy-endorsed punk rockers lose a few rough edges Swaggering somewhere between L7 and the no-fucks-given heyday of late-70s punk, Lemmy-endorsed Greek five-piece Barb Wire Dolls have continued to move further away from the DIY sensibilities of 2012 debut, Slit. Isis Queen’s throaty vocals are a mix of Joan Jett and Debbie Harry, and she plays the role of satirical social commentator with fiery aplomb on Back In

the U.S.S.A. and smash ’n’ grab bruiser We Are Champions (‘Make riots/Not war!’). Crunching rhythms and pulsating bass licks provide equal measures of melodic rage and flamboyance; fists will roll and tables will be overturned to gleefully sneery anthem Contract. If I Fall’s vocal refrains are reminiscent of London Calling-era The Clash, but the brooding acoustics of Fire To Burn and frustratingly mid-paced plod of closer

Waiting To Be Lost results in the album closing with a whimper instead of a bang. The push to sound more polished stifles the moments of passionate fervour, but Rub My Mind remains rock solid.