Preconceptions are clearly dangerous things. Upon first glance it would be easy to assume that this Flaming Apes Head disc – adorned with, you guessed it… a flaming ape’s head – would contain something quite dissimilar to the way that the band actually sounds. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what an enflamed ape’s head would sound like without upsetting a fair few animal activists, but funk/punk/grunge was not exactly the sort of sound I had in mind.

The members of Flaming Apes Head, Neil Culshaw, Simon Glover and Andy Minghella have actually created an unbelievable mish-mash of styles throughout their music. In places there’s Less Than Jake in others there’s almost Nirvana – and they almost pull it off.

Unfortunately, as typified by “It’s All So Simple”, the irregularity of their direction occasionally results in sheer noise over music. The overall result for the song is to leave the band with a hint of amateurism about them – which is a pity considering that versatility should usually be commended.

Yet on “Shallow”, Flaming Apes Head manage to avoid a similar pitfall and keep their sound confined into a more palatable track – one that works incredibly well for them. The melody is tighter, the drumming hurried and the vocals are also perfectly poised: it’s funky – not junky - punk. “Shallow” might not be mind-blowing, but it is something that bodes well for the forthcoming longer-length Flaming Apes Head release.