If you want something new from the music scene, then you could do a lot worse than turn to Man Like Me, fronted by 23 year old Camden likely-lad, Johnny Langer, whose refreshingly frank lyrics and cross-genre references are as snappily vital today as the late, great Ian Dury was during his peak of musical fitness.

An unmistakably London sound and none the worse for that, the self-titled debut album is hot off the presses and will have you smiling in unison with its catchy combination of rave, grime, ska, hip-hop and indie, because, believe me, this album has eleven tracks of occasionally witty and frequently gritty lyrics and eminently bop-along musical accompaniment provided by Johnny’s school-mate, Peter Duffy and their latest conscript, Trombone Jerome, which form the trio.

There is a youthful exuberance to this great sound that seemed to grab me by the scruff of my neck the instant I placed the CD into my deck. Yes, it is dirty. Yes, it is raunchy and noisy and raucous but, above all, it is fun, with a capital ‘F’. Although Edwin provided the colour to their monochromatic appearance from the outset, it is brass-playing Jerome who has assumed the role and adds an extra sparkle to the presence. If you live in and around London, then the chances are you may have been influenced by this trio already, because there is scarcely a night goes past when they are not gigging somewhere around town, which has led to the group generating a strong following from the fans of several types of music.

Johnny’s vocals are hardly earth shattering, as he tends to ‘sping’ rather than sing but you can forgive his occasionally sharp delivery as the backing tracks of electronic clicks, drum-beats and keyboards, with the occasional brass interjection, is invariably light and cheery. Check out their videos on YouTube and become ensnared by the sound of Man Like Me. Fun and frolics are designed to make you feel good with this band.