THE LIFETAKERS
Self Titled EP
Self-released, 2011

By Shane Pinnegar

From the scorched ashes of Vancouver’s much-missed Crystal Pistol, The Spitfires, Chinatown and Black Market Babies comes The Lifetakers. Whilst not the embodiement of drug-fuelled sleaze that CP were, The Lifetakers know their way around a guitar and a bar, and possess ample Stones-’72 swagger and dirt-under-painted-fingernails sleaze to make a real impact.

‘Fake So Real’ and ‘Dead Boy’ embody the spirit of The Stones and the venom of the original punks – full of raunch and roll, catchy and real, surly and warm.

‘Gift Shop’ kicks the door to the bordello down and runs off with the best whores in town, while ‘Mommy Don’t Know’ would have been a number one in the mid Seventies, with it’s Rod Stewart/Faces/Stones groove.

With the experience, the tunes, the strut and the talent on display here, we can only expect big things from The Lifetakers, so here’s hoping they don’t implode like their former bands did.

www.thelifetakers.com