REVIEW: The Lancashire Hotpots - Achtung Gravy

Having been a fan of the Hotpots for several years now it would be natural for me to pick up their third(not including the Christmas CD - which I've still not picked up - and the excellent EP-cum-album 'Criminal Record') album, the U2-album-cover-and-title inspired 'Achtung Gravy'. So does it stand up to their previous albums that included such hilarious spoofs as 'Chippy Tea', 'He's Turned Emo' and 'Chav'? Well the answer is yes and no.

The album contains some fantastic flashes of genius by the band. 'OCD' and 'Three Rings' are two great examples of songs that take the everyday - in this case compulsive behaviour and giving three rings to make sure you're back safe - and make them funny through slightly exaggerating reality. Sort of a musical Peter Kay sketch but funnier and much wittier. These two, plus the Monty Python-inspired 'Has Anyone Seen My Dongle?', stand up with their great tracks of the past, 'Dongle' being the 'Me PSP' of this release.

It's just a shame there are a few duds on the album, something that there hasn't really been on a Hotpots album yet. I sort of get the joke on 'Hip Meddow' but it doesn't really work, and 'Cottaging' tries too hard to be 'Carry On' rude but doesn't pull it off (ooh, er). 'Shopping SOS' that follows is also a bit too similar to previous songs to really stand on its own feet.

However, aside from this early sagging of songs, most of the rest of the album is a Northern tour de farce. Opener 'Mek Us A Brew' is a good start and more of a message to be chanted, whilst single 'You Could Get Hit By A Bus Tomorrow', though no 'He's Turned Emo' with some forced lines (I'm looking at you "run a red light" bit) it's a great composition.

It's as the album hits the middle, though, that it really justifies its purchase. After the aforementioned songs on hand washing and USB dongles we get their version of 'Michael Row The Boat Ashore' but about drinking, and 'Duvet Day' about pulling sickies. Then it's a great run to the end of the almost forty minutes with 'Cash In Hand', about paying contractors, 'Face Like Thunder', about upsetting *the wife*, 'Lucy Meacock', about the eponymous Granada presenter, and the best song on the album 'Three Rings'.

Overall it's an album worth buying if you've enjoyed the Hotpots previous albums though it's the weakest of the three. I think they would have been better off chopping it down by a few tracks like they did with 'Criminal Record', which is still their most consistent release.

Though for sheer laughs, any album that can get away with songs about the most boring of things such as USB sticks, phoning home and making cups of teas and make them funny and great to listen to is worth a punt.

Anyone with a love of funny songs will find a few things to enjoy here, but perhaps should pick up their first two albums and 'Criminal Record' first.