MIKE BADGER – Rogue State – Viper CD

Mike Badger is Liverpool’s answer to Billy Childish, albeit minus the flamboyant punk attitude and undying enthusiasm for three-chord thrash. Founding member of The La’s and The Onset, visual artist, record label honcho and singer/songwriter, Badger, like the music he makes, is impossible to pigeonhole.

With Paul Hemmings (The La’s), Martyn Campbell (The Lightning Seeds) and Tommy Scott (Space) returning once more to give an old friend a hand, Badger’s third solo album, Rogue State, is an excellent blend of stripped-down garage-beat (‘Big Boots’), rockabilly (‘The Tupelo Hardware Store’), dreamy pop (‘Don’t Leave Me Standing’) and touches of folk (‘They’re Animals’) – all with a reverberating country twang. Other highlights include Badger riding the country rails with Hell bent relish on ‘Platform 9’ and his duet with local songwriter Lizzie Nunnery on their self-penned, downbeat ballad ‘Rising Tide’. A perfect pick and mix for the ears.

Alan Brown (Shindig Happening Magazine Dec 2011)