Flamingo 50 are at the vanguard of the current Liverpool Underground explosion that has nothing to do with The Coral, Zutons et el, and has thankfully not yet been discovered by the NME tossers.The kids on this scene have no interest in weed, scally culture, psychedelia or scouse Skiffle.Kids who's heroes are Ramones, Pixies and Classic Pop. It's the sound of punk rock attitude coming head to head with the God given melody of Merseyside. And it's backed by promoters like Club Useless and Inner City Sumo, labels like Keith Records and Spank Records, and fanzines like Black & White and Everything You Hate. Influences like Minor Threat, The Go Go's and Bikini Kill give an idea of the ferocity if their early live shows, which still remains but now with a batch of songs that perfectly combine full on punk rock energy with a glorious pop sensibility. An album, three singles, tours of the UK and Europe and regular appearances on Peel and Lamacq have recently brought them a wider audience for their classic Punk Rock and Roll.    

*Pete Benthem-www.innercitysumo.co.uk