Blitz Vega, the band fronted by The Smiths’ bassist Andy Rourke and Happy Mondays’ Kaav Sandhu, was formed in 2016 and came to an end when Rourke died of pancreatic cancer in 2023. He was 59. The band’s only album, “Northern Gentlemen,” is finally released — 10 tracks largely written and recorded before Rourke’s death, the final outing of his impressive career.
However, despite the duo’s best efforts, this is a truly dull piece of work. It borrows some elements from the duo’s musical heyday but doesn’t inject any new life into their craft. These are dry, rock-by-numbers songs with very little personal wisdom.
The first three tracks have the vibe of an album that might come pre-installed on a new iPhone. A non-threatening, formless wall of guitar presented at a moderate pace, as Sandhu sings “I wanna spend my time with you/Oh baby, oh baby” on the song “Disconnected”. It’s soft rock, and without being demanding.
Nothing gets very good until “Love City.” Despite all its repetition, this song revs up the beat and introduces rhythmic intensity as Sandhu sings about wanting love and Rourke leads the way with bass lines. “Pass the Gun” lays down some retro vinyl scratches to get things started, but suffocates from there despite Rourke’s powerful bass work.
In a press release for the album, Sandhu fondly remembered Rourke. “Every song tells a story and personally reminds me of the recording of that song, the journey to the studio. The conversations or whatever happened around the recording session,” the singer wrote. “I hear his voice in my head, replaying everything we talked about while recording the song. I see his face smiling at me.”
Technically the duo was able to create a much more attractive album than “Northern Gentlemen”. The mix is perfect and the sound is powerful. Perhaps Rourke and Sandhu are not so wild anymore and unpredictability is the soul of their rock.
Rourke will be remembered for his work with The Smiths, but not at all for this posthumous release.
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