STARING AT THE RUDE BOIS: Gallows featuring Lethal Bizzle.

Cover versions are part and parcel of music culture and there is no harm in doing your own rendition of somebody else’s song. Where would we be for instance without the Clash’s ‘Brand New Cadillac’, Hendrix’s version of ‘All Along The Watchtower’, Them’s version of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ or Pronghorn’s version of ‘Ace of Spades’?

Some songs are to be messed with at your peril though. To do a version of the Ruts’ ‘Staring At the Rude Boys’ takes either a lot of bottle or a complete lack of respect. How have Gallows faired? Well, we think they have got away with it. It stands up on its own as a half decent record.

It is sometimes unfair to compare covers to the original but apart from making it a bit more shouty and chucking in some rap it has not wandered too far from the Ruts take on it… here on planet Iguana like the new version, but it has to be said the original still stands out as the best version.

What do you think? Stroke of genius? or should it be ten strokes of the whip?

For readers too young to remember ….