Deep in the terracotta bowels of one of a chain of pubs renowned for their lack of soul, emerges a young man sporting a better barnet than Kevin Keegan could ever have coiffed.
Marco Rea, is the Glaswegian frontman for The Marbles. They've been knocking about for a little while now, but have recently grabbed the attention of the Mod God himself Paul Weller and are just about to commence on a few support slots on his forthcoming tour (the rawk epicentres that are Poole and Hereford).
The slot is hardly surprising once you hear their eternal retro-rock references As their new single 'So Far Away' (out this week) suggests, their sound takes it's influences from the likes of The Who with some fun-pop thrown in.
Delivering an R'n'B sound with a sunny pop sentiment, The Marbles are easy on the ear but when Marco opens his mouth, the jaws drop open; such a big voice for such a little man. And backing this sprightly youth is a breezy mix of guitar-pop and catchy choruses. Not ground-breaking, but toe-tapping.
For anyone who has been niggled by a sense of deja vu the finale - a cover of the Faces' 'Stay With Me'- puts everything into place. This is where you've heard them before. With that hair and that voice it's almost like Rod Stewart circa '77 is onstage.
So The Marbles, an above average pub band.
