Welcome return of ex-Pink Fairies/ Motorhead hellraiser. Sauce-free for over five years now, reformed rabble-rouser Wallis has ditched the hellhounds on his tail for a quieter existence spent devouring crime fiction and setting up his own studio. But his first solo outing leaks unfinished business from every pore. As a guitarist, he's gunning harder than ever, while his gravelly pipes carry enough phlegmy blues to rival Tom Waits. For Pink Fairy addicts and decoders everywhere, this is a treat. Opener "Are We Having Fun Yet?" is a sequel to "When's The Fun Begin?" (from the Fairies' 1973 LP, Kings Of Oblivion); Pete Townshend cap-doffer "Crying All Night" is a reel around "I Wish I Was A Girl", while old cohort Mick Farren provides lyrics to "Downtown Jury" and "Don't Mess With Dimitri". "I'm A Police Car" expounds on the classic Stiff 45 from 1977, but the best comes last: "Screw It" (aka "How Do You Creep?") twists the Fairies' "Do It!" into a vicious, contemptible lambast towards an ex-member who appropriated the band's moniker. Clue? Rhymes with stink.

Rob Hughes

Available from www.pinkfairies.co.uk