You know how it is – somebody comes up to you at a festival and hands you a CD and you know you have two chances. Either it will be awful or it will be a delightful surprise. If it was the former you wouldn’t be reading this so you may rest assured that Firecracker Day comes as a pleasant surprise. I’ve learned that Trevor is Irish and that he now lives in West Sussex. He’s been in the business for a while and I can’t help but wonder why he isn’t generally better known. Firecracker Day is just one voice and one or two guitars and the packaging is minimal which, subconsciously at least, is off-putting and I can think of a record label on the south coast that should contact him soonish. But I’m not his agent so let’s get on with the review.
Trevor’s songs are down-to-earth, about real people although there is an element of fantasy about the opening track, ‘The Burning Tide’, which tells of an ill-starred love affair in a fishing town encompassing adultery and tragedy. If it’s all true then Trevor is one unlucky bloke. The title track is about banger racing and ‘Pentonville Road’ is about finding someone new in a new city – it could happen to anybody. ‘If Ever You Should Happen’ is a clever post-love song with a tune that is possibly over-simple but works. ‘A Soldier’s Pay’ is a song that really makes you think while ‘Even Mona Lisa Gets The Blues’ is a reflection on the well-known images that have become icons from La Gioconda to Athena’s tennis player.
Trevor is a fine guitar picker with a clear unaffected voice and great diction. I can honestly say that there isn’t a song on this album that I wouldn’t listen to again.
Dai Jeffries
‘The Running Tide’:
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