Ah, the Forest of Dean. A magical place, full of trees, sheep, small huddled villages, an ancient mining tradition and funk bands.

Yes. That's right. Funk bands. 8 Ball Groove may sound like they would be more at comfortable in New York or Seattle, but the Forest of Dean is where they lay their hats, and it's the Forest that they call their home.

The Forest is no stranger to the production of pop music. Both EMF and The Wedding Present can claim their heritage there, as can a folk based band called the Wild Welsh Women. But 8 Ball Groove are slightly different. Theirs is a funky fusion of Rage Against the Machine's Rage and the MCs of the Stereo MCs.

Regular readers of my pages might notice that I seem to have been mentioning Rage Against the Machine a lot recently: Jayl's lyrical content and the Mild Mannered Janitor's bass lines both compare. Here, however, 8 Ball Groove go the whole way with angry lyrics (particularly with "Kid", a song about an abused girl: "her father had once shown her things she shouldn't have known") and even angrier riffs and chords. The Troy Preest even sounds like Zack de la Rocha in places. You half expect him to break into "Killing in the Name" at any minute.

8 Ball Groove are not entirely derivative though. The funky Hammond effects be anathema to Rage's "No synthesisers used in the making of this recording" policy. This is particularly evident in the reggae infused "Better Times".

Through a barrage of word, the music takes over. This is music to dance to, or, at the very least, tap your foot to on the bus. Seeing the Groove live is soon going to be a prerequisite of anyone with an interest in the local music scene.

This band is at its best at its most angry. And you don't get much angrier than "Kid". ........'s rage sounds totally justified and the power of the music matches that of the lyric. Elsewhere, lyrical content has been overlooked somewhat: "Stack it Up" consists of a long list of words that rhyme for rhyme's sake: "Stack it up....Slack it up.....Pack it up". Somewhere, you hear Preest say "It's a simple question", but it's difficult to tell what the question is.

"Freak it/Funk it" suffers the same fate. "You gotta freak it don't funk it" is sung over and over again, but you're never sure what's being freaked or funked, or why you have to do it. While the tune is funky enough, it's a pity that the lyrical talent that produced "Kid" could not come up with something as compelling on other tracks.

8 Ball Groove are a mixed bag. While they have developed a very funky sound of their own, their lyrics sometimes let them down. This is a pity because I want to like them. I really do Their music is utterly infectious and is guaranteed to make you make at least one part of your body in time to the music. Just produce a few more tracks like "Kid" and 8 Ball Groove, I will love you forever.

10/09/03 - First published on www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire