The past eighteen months have been a whirlpool of emotions for Tribes. Having spent months hidden on the Camden pub scene with no modern day connection to the interweb, their gigs were sold via word of mouth as the band slowly built a solid, passionate fan base. Tribes rose from the cigarette ashes, rising little by little, performing in one shoebox sized venue after another.

The end of 2010 saw the band splashed on pages of ‘ones to watch’ columns while remaining unsigned, they lacked key social networking skills and got by using a white, Tribes labelled, mini bus. The press began to compare Tribes with the The Vaccines and the then named Brother. The Vaccines fitted coolly into the mainstream crowd while remaining ‘indie‘, (Viva) Brother became the ‘laughing stocks‘, no one wanted to be connected to Tribes while all the fuss around the other two bands was happening. Instead Tribes remained within ‘their scene’, fostering “true fans”, not casual followers who merely read about them, fans who had heard about them through other means – a devoted following.

Fast forward a few weeks and Tribes did a ‘Vaccines‘  by packing out a tiny venue, this time at XOYO, queues stretched around the block and a personal invite to support their heroes Pixies at London’s Roxy beckoned. Tribes did this all on the strength of their kick-ass live show: no fuss, just gigging, which later lead to a deal with Island Records. An EP and six intense weeks recording at The Motor Museum in Liverpool later, and now, finally, Tribes can transform the word of mouth buzz into the literal words of their debut.

Tribes have taken their early demo ‘Whenever’ to another level with a heavy layer of sweaty Pixies itching party pop, no super models allowed. Anthemic ‘We Were Children’ is hooked up in between Dan White’s frenetic guitar solos and Johnny Lloyd’s killer chorus line of ‘‘oh, no, stranger/You’re just like me/ These things happen/ We were children in the mid Nineties” i.e the time the UK music scene was drowning in Britpop and ‘Lads’. Tribes have assimilated the best bits of that period while drinking down what could have been The Libertines swagger.

Johnny’s in-depth and personal track, ‘Corner Of An English Field’, is filled with suggestions of being lonely, reminiscing about carefree youthful days. The song is a catalogue of teenager memories about feeling the loss of a dear friend and mourning a failed romance. Melodic lullaby ‘Half Way Home’ learns towards a relapse of a nostalgic relationship. The track is occupied with a general heartfelt beauty that sees a resonant Johnny crying ”I’m not in love with you” as he tries to convince himself to leave, while Dan’s slow hungry guitar solo creates the aura of an apology note. ‘Sappho’, the powerful Greek Lesbian poet, sparked a light within Johnny to make one of the finest pop songs that any indie band has released in quite some time, topped off by another straight forward catchy chorus.

Mid way through Baby, Tribes bring down the powerful tempo as they supply their first tearjerker. The spacey grunge of ‘Himalaya’ is fit for a big crowd, being blessed with soaring ”oooh o’s oooohs’‘ as Jim Cratchley melodic bass line takes centre stage. Youthful ‘Nightdriving’ is about drinking too much, showing the world Tribes too can drink to excess, making a mess out of their hair while wondering ”what use is God if you can’t see him?” ’Nightdriving’ falls right into ‘When My Day Comes’ a track that points to the future of Tribes with a fresh youthful sound (loud) – Dan White’s guitars gives the track a fun pop punk pace, perfect drinking and embracing the youth.

‘Alone Or With Friends’ is sung by guitarist Dan White and he reaches out for softer vocals while dirty electric guitars are being forced against a country melody. Tribes are not always about the fun it should be noted; ‘Bad Apple’ showcases their balladeering side, ending Baby on a high with some mesmerising notes.

Long awaited debut Baby was written after Johnny broke up with his girlfriend and had to go move back in with his parents to recover from the tragic death childhood friend Charlie Haddon of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. There is a feeling throughout Baby that suggests the silence of innocence lost. Tribes followers will treasure Baby, after a full on year of touring, a sold out  Electric Ballroom show, and with a fan base increasing day by day; Tribes are endearing in good old fashioned rock n roll way; no polish, just cigarettes, sweat, and alcohol, turned into straightforward rock songs. Simone F

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