The first ever contact with THE VIRGINMARYS opening for Skunk Anansie on their European tour left me completely enthused and I could not help but grabbing me the band’s debut release Cast The First Stone. Hailing from the Manchester area the trio (Ally Dickaty - vox/git; Matt Rose - vox/bass; Danny Dolan - drums) does not really put much information out. But what I could find were heaps of highly rated and overwhelming reviews by the British Rock press, abounding in eulogies.
THE VIRGINMARYS surely do not reinvent the Rock genre. The guys are neither virtuosic nor complex, innovative or any kind of progressive. It’s much more the fascinating and fresh talent to create highly energetic and vibrant rhythms with simple song structures and catchy riffing. I definitely can’t elude.
THE VIRGINMARYS breathe pure Rock’n’Roll with a rough charm and a distinct Blues influence that also allows quiet tunes and a wild-romantic melancholy as in the middle of Out Of Mind and the in title-track Cast The First Stone, at its end even a decent orchestration shines through.
As for the other four tracks THE VIRGINMARYS give free rein to their Rocker souls. Just listen to the pounding opener Bang Bang Bang or the nonchalant Nothing To Lose.
Since it is just an EP, Cast The First Stone is of course way too short, leaving the listener addicted and stuck to the repeat-button. Though, it remains to be seen, if the THE VIRGINMARYS bring enough variation into their music not to fizzle out sooner or later. Let’s see what the future holds in store for them.