What do you get if you cross the music of the manic street preachers in their holy bible era with the voice of Robert Smith from The Cure? Answer- Smokescreen by McAlister. Hailing from Birmingham, see its not just Slade that come from there. Smokescreen is a journey of singer Danny McAlister’s vocal abilities. As I mentioned at first I thought he was Robert Smith sounding, then I thought an early James Dean Bradfield, then Bono, then I realised he was just unique sounding. It’s a likeable track; at last a British band that haven’t jumped on the Franz Ferdinand band wagon. Whether the public appreciate this is another matter. If it’s not American bands trying to sound

Joanne Nugent