Some bands come with a warning label, and the formidable Charlie & the Lesbians belong in this very exclusive group. Consider this quartet a proto-punk / noise pop equivalent of those shocking photos printed on cigarette packets: confrontational, squalid and so rude that it is almost funny. But what makes the delightfully manic Charlie Hoeben and his clique so special: their collective ability to subvert that archaic hardcore-punk austerity into a palpable sense of warmth and inclusivity, not to mention a wholly positive invasion of space.
