Bewilderingly popular in 90s USA, Gavin Rossdale’s post-grunge outfit never got much of a foothold in their homeland, were savaged by critics and largely overlooked by a paying public otherwise occupied by Britpop. Now, though, with the sudden exposure provided by his unlikely judging stint on The Voice, Rossdale is suddenly a recognisable face on these shores, and – timing! – his band have a new album out just as the series draws to a close. Could this finally be the moment that Bush break Britain?
On the evidence of Black and White Rainbows, it remains unlikely. Album number seven sands down what little edge the band once had and buffs their sound to a banal, stadium-rock sheen. In fairness, as banal stadium rock goes, it is at least proficient – Rossdale was always capable of delivering earwormy modern-rock choruses, as the smoothly melodic Beat of Your Heart shows – but it never manages to rouse itself from a miasma of mid-tempo sameiness. Also, at 15 songs and 57 minutes, it is preposterously long, and your attention is likely to have wandered long before the insipid new age chords of final track People at War begin chiming away.
