New band: Beggars

Beggars come from Reading, but we doubt be there for much longer. Only a few months after forming they had landed a record deal with Heavenly Recordings and, having already supported Babyshambles a few months back, are about to embark on a nationwide tour in May supporting Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong.

Musically Beggars mix Britrock swagger with the pop-art beat sound reminiscent of The Creation and The Who. The songs are encased in the raspy blues vocals of singer Justin Girdler, which recall Lee Mavers, or more recently the 22-20s.

Clearly they are the '60s-meets-Britpop sonic brothers of northern contemporaries The Troubadours. They have a Beatles-in-Hamburg vibe to their look (plenty of moody shots of them dressed in all-black) which should endear them to the all-important teenage girl demographic. Poster boys for UK guitar rock they may eventually become, but they aren't all arrogant bluster; as shown by their choice of covering Leonard Cohen 'The Future' in their live set (and now available as a limited edition 7" and download). The debut album has already been recorded, with Brendan Lynch producing, and will be out in the autumn.

Hear Beggars on Myspace here. Below is a taster from the debut album.