For all those who thought that Bury St Edmunds was in any way lacking a hefty dose of garage rock, you can rest assured that such a thought is far from the truth. The three-piece of the Vitamins are readdressing the balance, as it were, looking to put their town on the map in a big way. Such a challenge is never going to be simple, however, and whether the trio have the potential to pull it off is a whole different matter for investigation.
Most recent to emerge out of the band’s discordant reverie is ‘El Santo Vs. Los Vitaminas’, a incredibly solid thrasher that shows off just how tight a new band can sound when they have the right drive behind them. ‘Look After Me’ is the single’s B-side, and the two form a pretty decent combination when it comes to getting things going. ‘El Santo’ is without doubt the “jump around” song out of the two, with ‘Look After Me’ following as a more laid back toe-tapper. It sets the Vitamins up as a Jekyll & Hyde band, though a somewhat muted version. You come away feeling that the trio have done a fine job with each track, though not one that’s particularly unique, and this becomes something of a running theme through their early repertoire.
The band’s debut single is ‘The Keys to the Limousine’, and it’s a chance for the Vitamins to channel their inner QOTSA on what is a fantastic first effort to produce under any circumstances. The trio goes stoner rock for a few short but incendiary minutes, and deliver the sort of track to leave a lasting impression in a way that ‘El Santo’ could have you doubting they were capable of. One similarity they share, however is the B-side, and as with ‘Look After Me’, ‘I’ve Got a Telephone’ stays equally well with the boundaries of casual toe-tapping… until about 45 seconds in, that is, at which point the mask is whipped off and the three-piece knock out another dose of mosh fuel. The track proceeds to alternate between the two, with “loud and brash” ultimately winning out and wrapping up the second double feature with a flourish.
At the best of times the Vitamins are a multi-headed beast, their own brand of garage rock packing a formidable punch and no shortage of reasons to keep both eyes on them. The biggest question right now is one of, while the trio are more than capable of earning their place amongst a crowd of their contemporaries, whether they have the potential to break from such a crowd. In that respect, the results of this investigation are inconclusive, and more material will be needed for examination before a proper answer can be reached. In the meantime, it’s hardly a big ask to enjoy the sounds coming out of this particular Bury St Edmunds act right now, as focus shifts towards what is hopefully an incredibly fruitful horizon.
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