Rating: three stars

ARE Gay Dad a real band or merely masters of disguise? Discuss.

Well they certainly deliver the goods but the majority of songs on this 12-track album leave you a distinct feeling of dj vu.

Although it's a good package - the band's obvious forte lies in its strong intros - you can't help thinking you've heard it somewhere before...

Notable influences include The Clash and Garbage (especially the title track).

Then there's some Verve-esque doom and gloom with lyrics like "Suicide is overrated/Tried it once I left myself behind"" and "I'm sick and tired/I'm sick inside."

But what killed it for me wasn't the songs but the album sleeve containing pretentious ramblings which are an obvious take-off of images beamed to the crowds at U2's Zooropa tour almost a decade ago.

To top it off track three, Nightclub, is far too close to U2's Discotheque both in name and verse. You get the picture.

Time for my own pretentious ramblings: "Everything reminds me of something I've heard before. Be original."

MC