Given that the narrator of Ben Vendetta’s second novel is an occasional Hot Press scribe, it would be remiss of us not to review it. The year is 1995 and struggling rock journalist Drew has an appetite for destruction, a mentally unstable estranged wife, and a very uncertain future.
One thing lifting his beleaguered spirits is Heartworm, the second album by underdog Irish act Whipping Boy. While attempting to champion the band (who appear several times), Drew bounces between Dublin, Boston and Belfast, fuelled by booze, drugs and music.
Vendetta is obviously a serious indie fan and, in amidst all the Blur, Oasis and Verve references, the pages of this enjoyably witty and fast paced novel are littered with the names of relatively obscure bands that you’ve probably forgotten – Lush, Auteurs, Ultra Vivid Scene, Cast, etc. Immediately after finishing Heartworm, this reviewer spent several hours revisiting the ’90s on YouTube.