Produced by Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters) Carnival is an enjoyable pop-rock outing that listeners will struggle not to enjoy. A gorgeous Clapton-esque guitar solo props-up the song and stops the verses gets tedious, with the bridge begging to be bellowed out by audiences during future gigs. It’s a shame there’s not more snarling presence from the backline to really let this single blossom– lads, you ARE allowed to let yourselves go a little bit. There’s a risk of listeners mentally switching off before the single really kicks off half-way through.
The B-side, Only You Will Do, is a soft blamange that should have really been a crunchy apple crumble. The track contains a lot of promise – the heavy power-chord guitars distort and nicely denigrate a flimsy composition, whilst the chorus finalises with another genuinely lovely solo that is cut all too short.
Carnival has just enough about itself to keep you interested, despite drawling vocals that are at risk of becoming boring and lost in a sea of backline reverb. Locomotives have lots of potential to be fantastic – a heavy bass-drum kick up the arse and a bit more bite is all they need. Definitely ones to keep half an eye on.
