The Thirst: 'Sail Away'

‘Sail Away’ offers two different ways to dance: upfront start-stop indie pop or crossover dub house. The story goes that Ronnie Wood ‘discovered’ The Thirst in a pub. Perhaps if it had been a café they’d have been called The Hunger.

Whatever, Mark, Marcus and brothers Mensah and Kwame squish South and West London punk, pop and reggae influences into a spiky indie jacket, which, on 'Sail Away', grows Arctic Monkeys-shaped legs and jerky guitars. It speaks of gritty life in London in an engaging enough way, but the remix by David E Sugars is more interesting.

Sugars starts all over again, pitting a carbon copy Fujiya & Miyagi bassline against cavernous dub reverb and a wiry, spiralling guitar line. Like the best of old school DJ battles, this ‘versus’ approach pays off and should fill dancefloors.

Released on 28th April 2008 by Wooden Records.

Written by James Farrell.