Brutus, Son of Sam, Fred Astaire, Edith Piaf, silent actress Lillian Gish, John The Baptist and Robert Mitchum - The Hot Puppies second album has a cast of characters to make even mid-60s Bob Dylan jealous.

Unlike many bands working today, the Welsh five-piece aren’t afraid to showcase their cultural knowledge and intelligence. ‘How To Choose A Wife’ is a wonderful slice of indie pop, its bouncy Kraftwerk-esque electro beats perfectly complimenting Becki Wood’s smooth vocals.

With its judicial refrain “Bring me the head of the man who took my people to war”, the forceful King Of England hints at an interest in recent British history, and sure enough the band cite Neil Young’s Living With War album as a key influence on Blue Hands.

However, this isn’t a protest record in any recognisable sense, rather a set of infectious, smart and quirky songs which bring to mind Britpop luminaries such as Pulp (check out the sleazy male vocal on ‘The Word On The Street’), Echobelly and Sleeper.