OCCUPYING a space somewhere between Kate Bush, Voice Of The Beehive, and Alanis Morrisette (although the latter reference point this Essex band would probably deny to the death), Alisha's Attic seem lucky and talented enough to inhabit certain areas that are also entirely their own.
The daughters of 1960s pop star, Brian Poole (of Tremeloes fame), both Karen and Shelley have invented the semi demonic, and occasional third person character of the Selfish Alisha, a telling creation that harks back to their uprooted, somewhat dysfunctional childhood. We are what our parents make us, it seems, and Alisha's Attic, effectively sylph like Shelley and mumsy Karen with some anonymous backing musicians, are here to tell us what went wrong.
Thankfully, most of the songs are, despite similarities to other people, quite strong examples of assertive, independently minded indie pop music. They do an excellent, stripped down version of White Room (not the Cream song), which is, to steal two words from it, "definitely sensual".
On stage, both Shelley and Karen move in an awkward puppet like manner, as if somehow disconnected from the music. Their between song patter is shamelessly inane. Yet their music is surprisingly fluid and expressive. Alisha's Attic - another reasonably good instance of how rock and pop music allows introverts to shine. We'll be hearing more from this lot.