NATIONAL

Orphan Boy's Trophies Of Love (Concrete) is a sad-faced charmer, uncomplicated Jam-style muscular pop detailing doomed, floundering small-town love - I urge you to buy 99 copies of it and every other release this week so as to avoid purchasing one of the unutterably dreary Bat For Lashes' titularly-linked Trophy (Echo).
Pete Cashmore NME (RADAR)

 

Rich: I've heard this already. I kinda like it.
Sarah: The chorus brings it to life. Oh God shut those bloody cymbals up though. Tish Tish. Enough! Sounds a bit like Half Man Half Biscuit in the quiet bits.   Get rid of that infernal cymbal and I'd give it 8 out of 10 .
ARTROCKER  

 

'I say what I like' wltm 'I like what I bloody well say' ***
SPILL magazine

The curse of any sharp, edgy, witty, young northern indie band now,of course, is inevitable comparison with Arctic Monkeys...and equally inevitable letdown. But this is a good shot - catchy, powerful and determined without being self-conscious or laboured.'
TELETEXT   7/10

Originally hailing from Cleethorpes, Orphan Boy, a three-piece outfit, have been adopted as honourary Manc's, probably quite a lot to do with their signing to cool independent label Concrete Recordings.   When The Libertines first split and the main movers formed Dirty Pretty Things and Babyshambles, it was almost as if a gaping void had been left in their wake.  

Orphan Boy arrived filling the chasm to overflowing with exactly the kind of nous and approach that made the Libertines look so special.   Add a nod and a wink to early material from The Jam, The Clash and The Buzzcocks, not only is there a formidable and powerful sound that they possess, but also an aura of pedigree too.   Trophies of Love is Orphan Boy's second single, with their brash, basic yet brilliant delivery it should see them propelled towards the big time,   Get in at the ground floor, whiles you still can www.concreterecordings.co.uk or www.orphanboy.co.uk
SCOOTERING MAGAZINE

Trophies Of Love' is not a debut release for Manchester-based ORPHAN BOY, but it's their first release on Concrete, the brand-new independent label they signed to in March.

This sullen stare at shit telly explodes like a terrorist bomb in a KFC bargain bucket as the futilities of illicit sex unfold in a reworking of Wilde's ‘The Picture Of Dorian Gray'. The strength of the melody is enough to carry the weight of their contempt and the melancholy all at once before the whirlpool sucks and the bile is let rip in a tidal wave of manic energy. Sounding half-indie, half punk in their delivery, these self-titled purveyors of ‘2-chord garageland Council Pop' keep themselves sane by questioning mainstream sanity with their stabbing rhythmic, razor-sharp half-dub.

Drawing upon our shared perception is a matter of putting your foot through the screen, and this exciting three-minute glance at life's sleazier side still offers something beautiful amidst the loud crashing racket.

Mr Stevens' is another spleen vented, with the characteristic fucked-up guitar sound and lightning drum blaze setting the track on fire whilst the vocals reverberate wildly around the mix. This is definitely a band to catch in action, as this psychotic ditty demonstrates so well. It's an arson attack on complacency, and one that makes you sit up and take notice. I for one can't wait to hear the forthcoming album!
WHISPERINANDHOLLERIN.COM

‘A striking rama lama n roller of a tune, with the same explosive qualities of the Arctic Monkeys, but instead of bitter tales of everyday life, there's a real sense of joy pulsating through each riff, with a chorus that's big and bold enough to take on that scary security woman at the garage in Highbury!'
SUBBACULTCHA

 

From Cleethorpes but now big-city habitants in Manchester, Orphan Boy have found the perfect mid-point between the northern grittiness of the Arctic Monkeys and the clever urchin pop of the Libertines. Trophies of Love is a flat vowelled slogan dripping tirade against the mundanity of modern life (“Baby in the backseat / Weekend retreat / Bedside valentine / Brat spawn punch up”) over a rather neat hook. It varies its pace nicely, one minute gently ticking over, the next exploding in a scuzzy guitar and percussion heavy racket. On the flipside, Mr Stevens starts like the Levellers minus the fiddles, with crusty, dog on a string folk before bursting into Setting Sons era Jam spittle dripping powerpop and finishing with machine gun riffs a la Clash circa Combat Rock. It probably goes on for about two minutes longer than it really should but promising stuff all the same.
SOUNDSXP.COM

 

Trophies Of Love' is the second single by Orphan Boy after April's brilliant ‘Billy's England / Postcode' 7″ on Grace Records. The production on ‘Billy's England' was very poor, but the same can't be said of either of these two tracks. It's like the catchy Guitar Pop of the Arctic Monkeys, with the anger of Joe Strummer and all the lyrical invention Jamie T.

I've had a live recording of ‘Mr Stevens' for a while and it's become a firm favourite so it's great to hear a studio version. It's old-skool Punk in the mould of The Buzzcocks but with a baggy twist. They've added furious instrumental passages to the song for this new version that'll have you dancing like Bez. Any song that has a shout of “Shop local!” towards the end has got to be good.
stopme.wordpress.com

 

REGIONAL

 

MOVE over Pete Doherty. While you've been deep in conversation with Her Majesty's representatives, Manchester's Orphan Boy have stepped in the ring to steal your pop crown.   They're even gonna use those tried and tested melodies you stole from the Jam and those quintissentially English lyrics about the banality of everyday life. I dunno, these cheeky Northerners, the moment the Priory door opens...
THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS - 3rd November:
Orpan Boy - Trophies of Love (Concrete)***

 

ORPHAN Boy has been taking Manchester's live music scene by storm over the past few months and are in huge demand.   Set for massive success, their first single ‘Trophies of Love' on Concrete Recordings was out on Monday.   You'll find these boys difficult to ignore!
URBAN LIFE

 

‘Though it's a knee jerk reaction to be cynical when a singer sounds like a carbon copy of another, Orphan Boy make it hard to sign vocalist Rob Cross off as an Alex Turner imitator when their lyrics are this thoughtful and the musicianship well-crafted. ‘Trophies of Love' sounds a little like The Clash as the pace quickens and the dominant bass line kicks in. Lyrically, it addresses the waning of romantic affairs and in the spirit of the Trainspotting soundtrack, lists useless household items which have become the ‘trophies' of faded love. The laid-back opening strums of B-side ‘Mr Stephens' sound slightly like The Lemonheads circa ‘It's A Shame About Ray', before veering again into a raw punky direction. This is simple, innocuous fare which will no doubt find a fan base in the Arctic Monkeys set, but shows capabilities of reaching further.' ***
HIGH VOLTAGE

 

If your answer to the question of whether we need yet another version of The Arctic Monkeys is a resounding “YES!” then you'll most probably like “Trophies Of Love”. It's a single that‘s action packed with smart guitars and crammed with the verve of an early version of The Jam. But sticking on the slightly slangish, heavily accented narratives inspired by third generation versions of the Wedding Present and Pulp vocal style, seems to sit awkwardly anywhere outside of the scene marked “fashion”. “Mr Stevens” is a better take on the earlier references to the Jam and shows a developing taste for raucous, better, inspired rock and roll with a few clever twists.
MANCHESTER MUSIC