Album Review: Handsome Young Strangers - Battle Of Broken Hill

Part of that fine tradition of amped-up Australian bush balladry traceable through Weddings Parties Anything and probably even back via The Bushwackers, Handsome Young Strangers go in with lagerphone and mandola engaged on this mini-album.

They actually cover some subject matter outside the usual 'shearers and bushrangers' defaults though - like the title track's cross-cultural clash - although lad-done-wrong song Poor Ned is pretty easy to decipher. Throw in a rich run at The Waterboys' Fishermen's Blues, and a gloriously ragged closing-time version of Sharon O'Neill's '80s neon pop lament Maxine, and the Strangers again prove themselves the soundtrack to a bloody good night out.