Wellington band The Barry Holt Cohort comprise of Barry on guitars and vocals, Chris Coad on fretless bass and Louie Levin, drum machine. Hailing from Liverpool, he grew up when that city was going through a period of austerity, and it is no surprise to hear punk and post punk in his style as well as The Beatles (of course) and T-Rex. There is an almost spoken style to some of his vocals, which made me think somewhat of a softer Joe Jackson, and there is an almost hypnotic feel to the repetitive melody. Apart from the chorus and bridge, the song follows the same pattern throughout, based on a simple bass motif, 4/4 drums and a 12-string acoustic. An electric guitar and an accordion add additional elements, but the underlying theme is never far away.
One can seriously imagine this being released on Stiff Records or through Rough Trade back in the day, as this is anti-establishment to the core, with lyrics which are political and current, which is perhaps not surprising given the title of the song. There is a clever twist in the chorus in that the lyrics change slightly so a different emphasis can be provided each time around, which is a surprise the first time it happens. It is a song which hopes that people will listen to what is being said and question what is in front of them, as is what is being portrayed actually real or just an illusion or falsehood? I can imagine Barry sharing a stage with John Cooper Clarke, with music which is simple, raw and incredibly real with little in the way of polish or trickery, but instead relies on the words and the repeated motif to haul the listener in.
Rating: 6/10
