Foxy Shazam - The Church of Rock and Roll

I fell hard and fast for Foxy Shazam.
It was one of those serendipitous moments of stumbling across them online and then finding out that in just a matter of days they were playing locally.
There was a problem though.
I had tickets for Cheap Trick on the same night, but as they were playing a matter of streets away I thought that if Cheap Trick finished early and Foxy Shazam started late it could be do-able, and it was.
As the last chord rung out from Cheap Trick we hot footed it to see Foxy Shazam and arrived just in time for them to step foot on stage.
What a fantastic night that was.
From that day forth I was hooked and picked up their back catalogue and kept an eye out for something new, and now here it is 'The Church of Rock and Roll'.
Cue the clichéd hyperbole about worshipping at the alter of rock and roll and how on the seventh day God created Foxy Shazam etc.
Never mind all that though because the music itself can do the talking.
With each album there's been the criticism that they have become less experimental and edged ever closer to a mainstream rock sound and to an extent it's true, but what's the problem with that anyway.
Over the course of this album I still hear the wit and humour that the band are known for, the eclectic musicianship to, and if the music works for a wider audience then I'm failing to see what the issue is unless some fans want to keep them as their own little secret.
For myself I'm happy to shout out from the rooftops that Foxy Shazam will fulfil all your bombastic rock and roll needs.
If there was ever a band that needed the stadium to express themselves then it is these guys.
The closest we have here in the UK is The Darkness, who Foxy Shazam recently toured with, but they fall far short of matching these guys.
The Darkness possess something that makes them equally loved and loathed.
They're a bit of a one trick pony in the opinion of many, but Foxy Shazam take the best of what The Darkness has to offer and pump it full of steroids before taking the music on a journey to far flung places that their UK peers probably don't even know exist.
If you want guitar solos, helium squealed vocals, funkyness with honking horns and poptastic soul as the soundtrack to your day then Foxy Shazam are here to provide it all......and more.