I first became aware of the existence of the splendidly-named Thundermother in the pages of the hallowed Iron Fist magazine. It was obvious that this all-woman group have taken their image for the halcyon days of leather and lycra we see in the photos on albums by ’80s legends like Girlschool and Rock Goddess. Grand job, ladies, but I wondered, does the music live up to Thundermother’s excellent image?
So, I purchased Thundermother’s Road Fever, and delighted to discover that it does in (Ace of) Spades!
Musically Thundermother are superb, and their song-writing is first class. These truly are great songs with a powerful organic production that really is fetching.
Thundermother’s secret weapon has to be fellow Irish-person Clare Cunningham, who truly has a tremendous voice, like a cross between Janis Joplin and Bon Scott, used to great effect on tracks like “Roadkill” and “Deal With The Devil.”
Moreover, this is a joyous album, just really life-affirming, and in the dark times we live in, that really is something special!
(Despotz Records)
