I played footy with this guy with a golden left foot kick. Forty metres out from goal, he’d start the ball left of the left goal post, raking it in between the sticks like a golfer playing a careful draw to avoid rough peril on the lush fairways of Augusta National Golf Club. Seemingly defying the laws of physics, his accuracy was a triumph of artistry over science, an exposition of raw skill commentators continue to salivate over, and linear-minded coaches struggle to understand.
What that has to do with My Left Boot is anyone’s guess. Maybe the relevance is in the long, booming psychedelic blues of Closest – the opening track from My Left Boot’s debut album Summer Songs – it seems like it’s going to miss the mark, but finds its way back between the goal posts of Black Sabbath and Humble Pie, breaking out into a Robert Plant-esque vocal flourish as the moment of climax approaches. Or it could be the disciplined consistency of Your Ancient Bones, all Bondi Lifesaver pub rock guitar and crushed KB Lager cans thrown into the sky to celebrate on-field success, followed by Good Mutt, and the long walk back to position to bask in the Zeppelin power of the moment.
But when the kaleidoscopic beauty of Summer Songs fills the air, it’s a time of psychedelic happiness, and everyone’s feeling alright, just chilling with the love of Lobby Loyde, a fat spliff and myopic belief in the future; then Just Have Ta turns up, clips you over the back of the head with a Buffalo record and tells you to get the fuck back into place, ‘cause the Kenwood-meets-Soundgarden groove of Sometimes Love is in town to teach you a serious lesson. On Only Good For Conversation, Rodriguez’s classic track gets the blues rock treatment and comes out smug and smiling. Like the brutal shirtfront on the half-back line, Suck It Up is powerfully self-explanatory and not looking for Socratic debate.
And finally, Sharks In The Water tells you that only the genuinely resilient will survive, especially when there’s some heavy prog blues to be had. This is one tough journey, and it’s worth every single moment.
BY PATRICK EMERY
Best Track: Summer Songs
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, BUFFALO
In A Word: Rugged
