Supergrass
Diamond Hoo Ha

The radio silence around Supergrass probably took a little longer than anticipated. Without a doubt caused by the remarkable 'slip' bassplayer Mick Quinn had last August, when he took the wrong 1st floor door in a French hotel and tumbled down, breaking his back in the process. On 'Diamond Hoo Ha', the follow-up to 2005's 'Road To Rouen', the gentlemen, including a fully recovered Quinn, have taken a completely different road. Away with all the acoustic, folky influences and the extended instrumentum (acoustic guitars, banjos and all kinds of electronics and brass). Instead we get an almost 'Old school' Supergrass-album, on which the band sounds incredibly rough. From the title track (Hoo Ha Man) to closing 'Butterfly', it's full gear guitar rock. Gaz and co seem mainly inspired by the Glam rock of Bowie and T-Rex (the 'oohs' and 'ohs' in delicious 'Rebel In You' for example), while seemly in constant playful struggle with the sound of the early 70's. Which results in an energetic, sometimes hunted, sometimes groovy guitar-dominated CD, which, despite a few week moments, screams out loud for stamping festival grounds.

Raymond Rotteveel, Oor Magazine - March 2008

Translated by Leo Hoek van Dijke, www.gouwestad.nl/goingunderground