REVIEW: Trying To Catch The Rain by Wob I first stumbled across the music of Wob a couple of years ago at a gig in Worksop and was immediately struck by its wonderful simplicity – just his voice and a guitar. Singing about everyday mundane subjects, such as getting a bargain at a charity shop, he brought new life to what we might not normally give a second thought. So, after a two year wait, I had been looking forward to this release. Backed by Kerry Stapleton on bass and Jon Edon on drums this is a fuller sound while still retaining the trademark simplicity of the songs. Kicking off with Souvenir he notices how easy it is to become desensitised to the major disasters and wars that we see only a daily basis on our TV screens. This album chugs along at a cracking pace and most tracks will get your foot tapping – especially the remarkably bouncy Surf's Up which, for me, did have echoes of the Housemartins. It is good to see the great singer songwriter tradition is kept alive. One for you if you don't like your music too commercial or over-produced. Ian Duncan - SCARBOROUGH EVENING NEWS Eschewing the acoustic style of yore, singer-songwriter Wob fleshes out his sound with the addition of an accomplished rhythm section that offers the required support to bring his sparkling vignettes alive. Trying to catch the rain sees Wob continue to mine a rich vein of contemporary roots-rock, incorporating elements of buzzsaw post-punk in its sound while also maintaining a pastoral Englishness at its core. Opening track “Souvenir”, a scathing attack on the way we seem to have become anaesthetised to violence on TV, flashes past in a whirl of hooks, harmonies and vocals not a hundred miles removed from those contemporary folk-rockers, The Queensberry Rules. It’s a convincing collection, ambitious and engaging, with occasional and satisfying excursions into wistful pop – “Lazy” being one of only two significant blemishes on an otherwise flawless album. The sweetly affecting love song “Upper Drive”, resplendent in up-beat pop and ringing guitars, is a measure of Wobs ability to create memorable moments of joyful abandon. So much so that you can almost forgive the cod-rockabilly “Surfs up!”. Danny Moore – ROCK ‘N’ REEL