Motorcycle Display Team

Captatio Benevolentiae ISI Media Ltd*

Motorcycle Display Team describe themselves as "live legends of the unsigned music scene in southeast London": that's what you call a niche demographic. Unfortunately for the London trio, their debut album isn't likely to expand their self-proclaimed legendary status. The mish-mash of styles on Captatio Benevolentiae ("striving for goodwill") means slapdash imitations of Franz Ferdinand-style art-rock (Brick Wall) sit beside funk-punk (the deplorable Better Than Sex) and zany pop (Zigfrid Pt 2). Such an assortment makes for a clunky, amateurish listen, with Steven Hinds's often cringeworthy lyrics making things worse. The album improves as it wears on, with the bounce of Betweenager and A Taste sounding a little more sure-footed in their pompous swagger, but this is still a dreadfully poor effort. motorcycledisplayteam.com

Download tracks:A Taste, Betweenager