Ones to watch

(Morning Star, Friday 02 January 2009)

JOHNNY FOREIGNER

WHERE do musical greats come from? The Smiths were straight outta Salford, all working-class woes and Manc miserabilism.

Radiohead made the trek into rock's back pages from Oxford, with the attendant intellect that that entails.

But what of Johnny Foreigner?

On paper, the raucous trio are from Birmingham, but to chain them to any earthbound landscape, in the Midlands or otherwise, seems to be missing the point.

If 2008 saw anything good, it was the release of Johnny Foreigner's debut record Waited Up 'Til It Was Light.

With a degree of trepidation, fans turned their ears to the three-piece.

After all, what is missing these days, what is the music world yearning for - the new Arctic Monkeys? A revived version of the Kaiser Chiefs?

Johnny Foreigner buck the trend, and everyone's preconceptions, by sounding just out of this world.

Since the band's formation from the ashes of several indie also-rans, singer Alexei Berrow has ploughed himself an astonishingly convincing frontman furrow, complete with handsome swagger and devil-may-care attitude.

But Berrow would be naught without bassist Kelly Southern, the girl vocal to Berrow's boy, delivered with a rock nonchalance guaranteed to whip the smallest crowd into a virtual frenzy.

Drummer Junior Laidley never misses a beat and, more importantly, makes impressive stage shows hit a whole new level with his enduring excitement when playing live.

Johnny Foreigner's exuberant pop thrives on joy, with magnificent songs like Cranes And Cranes And Cranes And Cranes, which samples the theme tune to I Dream Of Jeannie, and The End And Everything After, which examines music fans' reaction to bands and Johnny Foreigner themselves.

For a band so self-aware and postmodern, the icing on the musical cake is DJs Get Doubts, which is shot through with acerbic lyrics, catchy melodies and a violin played by a woman called Megan. They really do have it all.

Waited Up 'Til It Was Light is the sound of yoof and the future of everything, if we're lucky.

Johnny Foreigner are special and intelligent and any listener is challenged to remain stationary during one of their top tunes.

www.myspace.com/johnnyforeigner

HELLO SAFERIDE

AN erudite, intelligent lyricist with a voice to die for and a skewed version of the world to make you laugh and sometimes even cry.

Sounds like a dream? Consider yourself wide awake, because Hello Saferide are about to make it big.

Swedish journalist Annika Norlin released More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide in 2008.

With gems like Lund - which is about two too-cool brothers and "Anna," on a daughter who will never be thanks to a break-up - 2009 will see Britain saying Hello with all their hearts. Track down High School Stalker for singalong loveliness.