No doubt about it, The Arctic Monkeys have a lot to answer for given the glut of bands now emerging from the West Yorkshire region. The Wind-Up Birds are another band who employ regional accents and rough-hewn guitars to deliver their message. At least, though, they have talent of their own and what influences they do have seem to emanate from other groups.

'Meet Me At The Depot' and 'She Was Reliable' are the most convincing cases in point. Both have the urgency and aggressiveness of early Jam records and elsewhere 'Bastard Required' possesses a solid riff-based chorus. Only one track disappoints; with its extreme low-budget production 'And The Victory That Day' is the kind of run of the mill regional rock fare that has become overly-familiar nowadays. At least it's the exception rather than the rule. That's because overall The Wind-Up Birds have the tools at their disposal to avoid Northern rock clichés.