Pocketbooks - Promises, Promises

There are certain things that always remind me of summer. These are: Test matches; ice cream vans; fish and chips at the seaside; a couple of months when the depressing travails of following Grimsby Town can be forgotten; drunken weddings; inadequate barbecues; walking out of the pub at 10am, really drunk, and it still being light; and fucking, fucking Glastonbury.

And then there's Pocketbooks - the ultimate summertime band, whose new single 'Promises, Promises' is now available as a free download. I've only heard this song about five times now, and it already reminds me of some of my favourite summer memories; of one of those still-romantic weekends in London with friends down in London; of getting pissed in the park and playing football with my friends; and of watching my little boy take his first steps into the sea. This is the stuff of life, alright.

On 'Promises, Promises', Emma Hall gives perhaps her strongest performance yet; half Harriet Wheeler, half Kirsty McColl, whilst in the background the rest of 'em play the sort of joyous wurlitzer pop that has been the hallmark of their glorious three or so years together.

Nights seeing Pocketbooks playing their hearts out are always summer nights - the best kind of summer nights, and 'Promises, Promises' is the latest of their greatest hits. If it's raining outside, stick this on and then pre-order their second classic album, 'Carousel' from Oddbox Records. Alright?