1 	Just A Fraction 	
2 	Out Of The Eye 	
3 	Heavy Petting 	
4 	Widow Maker 	
5 	The Lady 	
6 	Lying & Fooling 	
7 	Mistress Mistrust 	
8 	Creamy Lid 	
9 	Vivid Wonder 	
10 	Parking Banshee

Bass – Douglas McLaughlan
Drums – Adam Clarke
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Chris Rogers
Lead Vocals, Guitar – James Atkinson

England's Gentleman's Pistols had already committed to four years of backbreaking work and sacrifice prior to the release of this eponymous first album through Rise Above, and the proof, as they say, is right there in the band's blood-sweat-and-tears pudding. Lousy metaphors aside, the Leeds-based quartet's dedication is made evident precisely by the ear-catching power displayed by almost all of the ten standard-issue classic rock tracks housed within, since, in truth, anything short of ear-catching simply would not do when a band is dealing in such worn and weathered musical building blocks. Indeed, particularly self-assured rockers like "Just a Fraction" and "Widow Maker" radiate remarkable guff, economy, and directness (all qualities that may have carried over from leading Gentleman James Atkinson's previous experience in hardcore bands), and you'll probably want to add the word "urgent" to this initial list of core attributes once faced with particularly frantic juggernauts like "Out of the Eye" and "Vivid Wonder." But arguably, nothing backs up the Pistol's hard rock bona fides as firmly as their more measured songwriting displays, including the anguished blues-rock saunter of "Heavy Petting" and emotionally fraught "The Lady," where they effortlessly accelerate from zero to sixty and back again at will. Try pulling off those moves on an exclusive diet of Oi!-Oi!-Oi! Heck, the mere notion sparks a snicker. Instead, it's precisely this range of creativity, sizzling excitement, and earnest rock & roll character that earmarked Gentleman's Pistols as true contenders and potential heirs to, say, Burning Tree on this debut -- though there'll hopefully be greater commercial success awaiting the Pistols' before they're done. ---Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic Review

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01. The Searcher
02. Devil's Advocate
03. Time Wasters
04. Private Rendezvous
05. Stress & Confusion
06. Personal Fantasy Wonderland
07. Lady Teaser
08. Dazzle Drizzler
09. Coz Of You
10. Hustler's Row

James Atkinson – vocals, guitars
Bill Steer - guitar
Stuart Dobbins - drums
Robert Threapleton – bass

There's a certain symmetry to GENTLEMANS PISTOLS' albums. Their self-titled debut was released in 2007, four years after they formed. In 2011, the band's second album, »At Her Majesty's Pleasure«, came out - four years after the first one. And now in 2015 comes third album »Hustler's Row« - after another four year gap!

“It's not something we planned,” laughs vocalist/guitarist James Atkinson. “It's just been one of those things that's happened”. They recorded at Atkinson's own studio, Mutiny, in Bradford, with the frontman also producing. Moreover, he's also written the songs. “After producing the last album myself, I really didn't want to do the job again, because is very difficult to combine it with being in the band. But the way things worked out, it was just easier for me to do this again as I knew exactly what we wanted.” The gap between »At Her Majesty's Pleasure« and the new album has definitely been to the band's advantage, as Atkinson explains.“Many of the songs were written not long after the second album. But we've had the time to incubate them, to develop these and ensure they could be even better. We played some of the songs live, and this meant we could test out how they came across.”

A lot of the songs here are very personal to Atkinson, who feels the writing and recording experience has been suitably cathartic for him. “I've been through some tough times in the last few years, and this definitely influenced what I was writing. It's made the album very personal, more than anything else this band has done. 'Time Wasters', for instance, is about people who've been holding me back, while 'The Searcher' is really me wondering where I'm going in life and what I'm doing. But it's not all based on my own inner experiences and feelings, 'Personal Fantasy Wonderland' and 'Lady Teaser' are just love songs, but overall, this album gets right inside my head a lot more than anything I've ever done before.”

The balance between this intimacy and the more expansive sounds which are prevalent here make »Hustler's Row« perhaps the best album of the band's career to date. It's all based on an evolution of their sound and style, rather than a radical overhaul. “We've accentuated the melodic aspects, yet all this had been done without losing sight of the importance of the riff to our sound.” You can hear the way this all comes to fruition on the vocal harmonies which run throughout. “For me, one of the biggest strengths here are the vocal harmonies,” adds Steer. “Atko spent a lot of time getting these right, and has come up with different kinds of harmonies. He also showed how he could sing softly when the occasion demanded it, yet was also not afraid to really belt out the vocals if required.”

Another notable aspect of the album's sound comes from the dual guitar work between Atkinson and Steer, which brings to mind classic WISHBONE ASH. “What drew Atko and I together in the first place was a love of the same music,” informs Steer. “We'd sit around drinking, and listening to THE SWEET singles B sides. And also to WISHBONE ASH. We've taken from them the natural feel for our music. It's just plug in and play.” “Bill and I did sit down and talk about what would work guitar wise with the songs,” relates Atkinson. “For instance, on 'Devil's Advocate On Call', we thought it would be good to have a harmonised solo. And what Bill came up with was perfect.”

Atkinson reveals that he had the title »Hustler's Row« in mind for a long time. “Our old guitarist, Chris Rogers, lived on a street called Hustler's Row in Leeds, and it's actually a really nice place, but to me, the name evoked an image of a place of desolation and despair, so the lyrics I wrote have no connection to that street at all. It was Bill that thought it would make a good album title and it seemed to make sense as it is the final song on the album too.” Always a band who has risen beyond their influences, GENTLEMANS PISTOLS still remain true to their musical ideals and their artistic idealism. But what »Hustler's Row« facilitates is a clear movement towards a new era of attainment. “I'd like to believe people will feel this has been worth the wait,” concludes Atkinson. --- shop.napalmrecords.com

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