Beady Eye - Four Letter Word

After the piano-fused 'Bring The Light' was released to give us a mere taster of Beady Eye, the excitement and expectation has only grown surrounding Liam Gallagher's new band ... with all the members from Oasis. Now, we have a second song from the up-and-coming album 'Different Gear, Still Speeding' and here's what I think:

Liam Gallagher was never going to go into dubstep. Neither was he going to call in his rapper friends and go in a more hip-hop direction. Katherine Jenkins wasn't hanging by her telephone, waiting for a call to make a guest appearance on this up-and-coming album, much like Snoop Dogg or Marilyn Manson were never pencilled in for cameo appearances. I'm sure the likes of Jay-Z, Hayley Williams, James Blunt and Damien Rice never came up in talks in the Beady Eye office. There was only one way they were going to go; rock 'n' roll.

Of course, this is no great surprise. Beady Eye, at the end of the day, is just Oasis without Noel Gallagher. You still have Chris Sharrock, Andy Bell and Gem Archer in there, who formed the latter day Oasis and have shown in their songwriting (excluding Sharrock) where their influences lie; the same Beatley-Stonesy-Sex Pistoly place that the Gallaghers hail from. And Liam Gallagher is one of the last remaining rock stars; lairy, arrogant and a right knob at times. So rock and roll was the only way that Beady Eye was going to go. And 'Four Letter Word' is that in a nutshell.

Bold and brash from the off, 'Four Letter Word' sees Beady Eye arrive. It's out and out rock 'n' roll; thundering drums, whining guitars and the verse-bridge-chorus formula that the Gallaghers built their success on. The band are on form here; an energetic and powerful performance from all involved and as the first song on their up-and-coming debut album, a statement of intent. And it's the perfect platform for Liam's raucous vocals to fully make their return, with his distinctively twisted voice blaring through 'Nothing ever lasts forever', with maybe more than a sideways glance in Oasis' direction. Beady Eye are well and truly here, along with a psychedelically fused video.

Beady Eye were never going to be a million miles away from Oasis, but that's not a bad thing. Oasis were one of the mainstays of British rock for almost twenty years until their unceremonious break-up in 2009, so why wouldn't Gallagher Junior want to follow that on? British rock 'n' roll is at its best when it's raw, pacy and shouted at you, and while not a classic, 'Four Letter Word' is British rock 'n' roll.

Luckily for Liam, it's just unique enough to be considered different from his previous band, saving himself from some of the criticism that will undoubtedly be thrown his way. But at the core of it, it's a good rock song; guitar-laden, as arrogant as it's lead singer and equally as bold. While many are waiting for Beady Eye to release a duffer, 'Four Letter Word' only increases the excitement ahead of 'Different Gear, Still Speeding'.

Another good release from Oasis Part 2, and here is 'Four Letter Word' from Beady Eye. Enjoy.

NWR