I’ll be completely honest here, I’m not the biggest fan of rock music. Nor am I a huge fan of any particular genre really. I cannot be so biased as to think a song is good just because it fits a particular genre. My playlist on Spotify can, and does, jump from indie and alternative to R ‘n’ B to folk to rap and then back again through an extended 1950s and 60s tunnel of crooning and soul. There is one thing all these tracks have in common though, they are outstanding tracks that represent the very best of their respective genre. Well-made and true. The thought of writing a review for an alt-rock song I’ll admit was a worrying one at first, but upon hearing “Freak” by Bristol-based Little Thief, it’s now an absolute pleasure.
I’m not going to come out and say that the song breaks barriers and redefines the genre as we know it, nor do I feel as though that is what Little Thief aim to do with this. What it does do, and do so well, is take everything that fans of alt-rock love and make it accessible to a much wider audience. The guitars work perfectly with the percussion, the vocals and the harmonies are crisp and add volume and meaning to the track, and that chorus. That. Chorus.
Immediately I am transported to the smoky venues of Camden and Islington (one of my happy places I have missed so much), I can feel the music exploding out of the doors. The guitar riff like something off a Queens of the Stone Age track. This is a versatile song that can fill any venue. From the most intimate to sold-out festivals. That is always the sign of a good song.
Lyricist Charlie Fitzgerald wrote that he wanted people to experience ‘the feeling of excitement and fear that comes with those explosively beautiful people’. Those who bring out, as Charlie puts it, ‘our “fuck it” side’. Mission accomplished. There is an atmosphere of recklessness and purposeful carelessness that creates the atmosphere that both Charlie and Rhii were looking for when they wrote this and I thoroughly enjoyed every second.
There is a lot to look forward to with Little Thief and there is huge potential here for this duo. The exciting part here is that they will only improve as time goes on and that leaves me avidly awaiting what they bring out next. If there’s an upcoming gig here in London, I will be front and centre.
You can follow Little Thief’s journey here: