A few little Blue-Collar(ed) pills...

The Blue Collars go t’ Underground

THE UNDERGROUND in Stoke has been host to Peter Doherty in the past, but tonight was the turn of one of its finest home-grown talents – The Blue Collars.

On a Friday the 13th, this quintet fit perfectly into the setting. The venue is small, sticky and about to get very sweaty.

Having only been together for just over two years, these lads are not the average amateurs you would expect. Front man, Rob Morris, is dominant and in control - you could say poised.

Guitarists, Simon Taylor and Jake Grocott; drummer Kris Hassal and bassist, Rob Henton, all add insult to injury playing the cool, couldn’t-give-a-Mary roles.

A fan base – built up from the internet lands of Myspace and Facebook, mean that The Blue Collars have a great turn out. It’s pretty electric.

Opener, ‘The Dance One’ opens with a drum beat that wouldn’t be out of place on a Foals record. The bass builds up and the kids are starting to move to the grinds. The strums and taps sound mathematical but it works to their advantage.


On the bands Myspace page they list their influences as a variety of typical boyish fancies – girls, drinking and unemployment.

These influences, along with their love for Stoke, provide the inspiration for tracks like ‘This Old Town’, in which Morris sings “(its) dragging me down.” It’s a real power house of rhyme and great vocals, complimented by jaunty guitar glides and dirty drums.

‘Tears of Rain’ showcased a subtler side to The Blue Collars. The song is dour and heartfelt as Morris sang about receiving “no gratitude”. This number also delves into the minds of these guys; with the line “telling more lies than Pinocchio” letting us know they still hold onto their youth.

Closing track ‘It Wasn’t Meant to Be This Way’ is a collision of drum crashes and gritty guitars. A colliding backdrop for Morris who hasn’t “done nothing wrong.”

Other crowd favourites, ‘Jealous’ and ‘Fat Cats’ brought both edge and class to the stage, showing that The Blue Collars well and truly deserve the applause they receive in this little gem of a venue.