As there’s hardly a British band at the moment generating as much hype as Westside Cowboy, I’ve now seen these likeable sweethearts live several times; at festivals and as a support act (for Geese). The young band make no secret of their influences; they’ve already taken to the stage in the vein of The Jam – which is particularly evident in Reuben Haycocks’s throaty vocals – and the no-nonsense, passionate rock of Bruce Springsteen, have covered The Velvet Underground and thereby demonstrated their love for raw, gritty energy, and they’re reminiscent of the Pixies, not just because of bassist Aoife Anson O’Connell’s infectious backing vocals. And then, of course, there’s the band name: it’s simple in an American sort of way and suits the straightforward, almost stripped-back rock songs with which Westside Cowboy have filled their debut album It Goes On.
The greatest achievement of this brilliant band, however, is that – unlike the vast majority of UK guitar bands of recent years – they come across as neither sad nor angry nor disillusioned, but instead seem positive and life-affirming. Even in a song like ‘Worried Age’, which is about panic and dreaming of death, Westside Cowboy make me happy. They know that moping is for losers, and that things could always be worse. ‘If nothing else, at least I looked alive,’ goes the line in the standout track ‘Pin Up Boys’ – and bassist O’Connell stretches her wordless ‘Ahh’ hook at the end out into infinity. Especially at live gigs, the audience simply can’t stop singing along. The album title says it all.
