Jersey Flegg

The off-field dramas of rugby league make it a perfect subject for a concept album. You Beauty prove that in spades with their free-download debut, writes MITCHELL JUDGE.

A first-person rock opera about a faded rugby league hero falling in love with a children’s television host – as far as album premises go, it doesn’t get more ridiculous than this. Given that all of the members that make up You Beauty have had considerable success in straight-faced, serious bands, it would appear as if this supergroup was formed purely for a laugh: the musical equivalent of a five-a-side game of footy in the local park after work.

With intricate bass lines and slick ’80s guitar, You Beauty operate in a similar space to Mac DeMarco by evoking a slacker vibe without sounding like a typical slacker band. Their songs are definitely more straightforward rock than Ohana or Mere Women, but they avoid the jangly guitars and plodding drums that we’ve come to associate with dolewave.

There are plenty of league one-liners and Australianisms that provide some light comedy throughout the album, like having ‘Whispering Jack’ as a wedding song, spewing in the oranges bucket and calling the ref a peanut, but the album is much more than this. The potential downside of pioneering ‘league pop’ is that a record of this quality could go as unnoticed in Melbourne as Craig Bellamy does. Fortunately, there is a lot to enjoy here for fans of aerial ping pong, for the real strength of Jersey Flegg is its underdog story. Even if you’ve never picked up a Steeden, you can relate to a person who realises their best years are behind them, but still gives it a red-hot go.

“‘Crummy Thoughts’ is a more appropriate anthem for the NRL than ‘Simply the Best’ or ‘What’s My Scene?’ ever were.”

While each song on Jersey Flegg is fairly short and simple, it is impressive how much detail the lyrics pack. ‘Scent of My Youth’ is primed to nab the Dally M; in just over two minutes the band manages to craft a clear picture of a young footballer that simultaneously idolises and pities his father. Appropriately, the song ends too early to reach its full potential after a half-promise not to succumb to a few too many “cold VBs” like his old man.

Perhaps more than any other sport in Australia, rugby league has seen the story of the talented footballer with a major flaw played out time and time again. Each season an “off-field drama” overshadows the footy and (briefly) ends the career of a young player, before another club throws him a lifeline. Ben Barba, Todd Carney, Blake Ferguson, Josh Dugan, Russell Packer, Ryan Tandy, Sandor Earl and Yileen Gordon have all been recent victims of their own poor behavior, along with many others. It makes sense then for the band to explore the imminent downfall of a promising yet troubled star.

Straight after the catchy love song ‘Anne-Marie’ comes the jarring ‘Now Her Skirt’, taking the album into a stint as dark as the Super League era. His girlfriend runs off with a puppeteer and he runs to Kings Cross, treading the same path to alcoholism as his father once did, until his face is “bloated from the sauce.” Unfortunately, ‘Crummy Thoughts’ is a more appropriate anthem for the NRL than ‘Simply the Best’ or the reworked ‘What’s My Scene?’ ever were.

‘Drop Me Now’ explores the self-loathing that comes along with the booze and the failure while also questioning the fervent passion that rugby league fans have always had for a brawl. A drunken heart-to-heart with Ray ‘Rabbits’ Warren, of all people, follows this, which the band use to set up a reunion with Anne-Maree while cleverly tackling the league cliché of what it means to be a “real man.”

A world away from the one-dimensional “footy is great mate” album that could have been produced, the songwriting here is extremely sharp, shedding a candid light on real issues within the game, with a feel-good final chapter that rivals Alfie Langer’s 2001 State of Origin return. Jersey Flegg is at once hilarious and deeply affective, with each track as strong as the one before it. It’s a genuine dark horse to take home the Winfield Cup for album of the year.

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‘Jersey Flegg’ is out now as a free download. Launch dates below.

Fri, Feb 21 – Tokyo Sing Song, Sydney, NSW [w/Angie]
Thurs, March 13 – Boney, Melbourne, VIC [w/You Yangs + Mighty Boys]
Sat, March 15 – Trainspotters, Brisbane, QLD [w/Step Panther, Thigh Master + The Bear Hunt]