Albums

Pete Dale and the Beta Males - Betrayed By Folk

19/06/2006

Rating: 2/5

What do you get if you combine socialism, a hippy from Sunderland, and two Futureheads? No, it's not a joke. The answer is Pete Dale and the Beta Males. Formerly a member of Wimpy Milkshake (who?), Mr. Dale is a man on a mission. A mission to put the world to rights. Unfortunately, he comes armed only with fifteen feeble tunes. 'Betrayed by Folk' is humbly subtitled as 'A Collection of Topical Songs'. But references to Bob Geldof and the New Orleans floods will be outdated and irrelevant in months, if not sooner. The unsophisticated anti-capitalist moan of 'Money (That's What I Hate)' paraphrases The Beatles and The Flying Lizards, amongst others, whilst a cover version of Phil Ochs' 'One More Parade' serves only to highlight the inferiority of Pete Dale's own songwriting skills. 'Menwith Hill' features Jaff and Barry Hyde, the aforementioned Futureheads, on bass and drums. The Mackem artrockers also contribute to 'I.D.on't', and the title track, 'Betrayed by Folk'.

Only the humorous monologue 'Talking Newcastle Nuclear Nightmare' is worth a listen, perhaps because it disguises Pete Dale's total melodic incompetence. “Pay no more than 6.99”, the sticker on the cover optimistically proclaims. To avoid being totally short-changed, those with a penchant for righteous agit-folk should stick to Billy Bragg, or seek out Chris T-T's '9 Red Songs' EP.