Based in Belfast, though hailing from Derry, five-piece band The Twenty inhabit the ‘punkier end of rock’n’roll’ as they say themselves. Their debut EP ‘Camarilla’ is a no frills venture that recalls the best of the punk and New Wave bands, with a forthright lyrical slant throughout. Songs ignite, and charge towards their finale without exception, driven by a unified and in-it-together band.

Their sound has a bias towards the 70’s and 80’s scene on this side of the Atlantic, with the likes of The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers, Magazine, and Wire all seeming to leave their mark on the EP’s five tracks. The guitar riff starts Head Up (Head’s Gone), the drums punch time, and backing grunts duel with slashed power chords in a no-nonsense opener. Take A Penny follows, a New Wave style tune anchored by a four note riff. Tribal tom and vocal breakdowns punctuate the simple, repetitive tripartite structure before the drummer doubles up for the outro.

No More No ups the ante on the anger – “Out on the street there’s a crack in the air/ You’d love to beat me right out of here” before the funk rock of Parapet. There’s an Eighties leaning in the vocal and lead guitar sound, but it’s the bass that hops it along, stepping out for a brief solo. Things end with Petrol Fumes, with the guitars and vocals all growling out together at the dying seconds in the unified style that typifies the EP.

The Twenty seem to be making some waves, with No More No featuring in the second series of Irish university-set drama series Six Degrees. Fans of the aforementioned bands should certainly find something of merit in this collection, and Take A Penny is particularly good. It’s not an original premise, this EP, but the band has conviction and as we said, it’s a no frills affair. And that’s no bad thing.