The Hickey Underworld – The Hickey Underworld
‘Diamond Dei’
A lot of people were left disappointed when Death From Above 1979 went their separate ways in 2006. Sebastien Grainger would go fleetingly into the arms of one Kelly Osbourne and Jesse Keeler to the discordant bosom of MSTRKRFT. Grainger returned with a solo album in 2008 that went some way to easing the pain of their loss. It provided half the DFA 1979-experience that one might expect, butchering pop melodies into funky punk-rock.
Named after a Nation Of Ulysses track, The Hickey Underworld hail from one of the least rock ‘n’ roll of all European cities Antwerp, and even though neither Grainger nor Keeler feature on this self-titled debut, if the pair were still together they may just have been making a racket like this.
Younes Faltakh’s treated vocal mixes with incendiary guitar licks on ‘Sick Of Boys’. Chest-pounding kick drum swirls with melody on the outrageously catchy ‘Blonde Fire’, which along with the artwork courtesy of cult hero Coffin Joe, confirm that The Hickey Underworld tick a lot of boxes. Whilst it would be a fair bet to say that not much makes Muse blush, the beefy theatrics on display in this track just might. Not content, ‘Zorayda’ even combines The Cooper Temple Clause’s best bluster and swagger with an enviable dash of raw grunge.
Outside of a few DJs and dEUS, Belgium hasn’t had much to cheer about in recent times. These diamond dei deserve to come to the surface in order to receive some of the adulation that their name clamours for.