Nathan Connolly’s tatts always made him stand out as the member of Snow Patrol most likely to have some Motorhead or AC/DC lurking in his record collection. The debut offering from his star-studded side-project Little Matador has justified those suspicions with frankly astounding results.

Over 11 tracks he proves himself a fine tunesmith with an enviable ability to create hook-laden melodies that, not to put too fine a point on it, rock like a motherfucker. In his quest to make your ears bleed (in the best possible sense) he is aided and abetted by the sterling rhythm section of Binzer Brennan and Gavin Fox, while his three-guitar attack is completed by Troy Stewart (Tired Pony) and Dave Magee (LaFaro).

The band have been compared to Queens Of The Stone Age (to whom they played support last year). However, Little Matador’s output is more complex. The stylistically varied experience of the musicians feeds into the multidimensional aspects of the songs making for a rich listening experience.

And so to the tunes. ‘Liar Liar’ is a breakneck sonic assault replete with blood curdling screams. ‘Cheating Heart’ is a delightfully dark, twisted,claustrophobic affair. And ‘This Crooked Wood’ brings to mind Therapy? at their most exquisitely ferocious. Elsewhere the beguiling ‘Leaving Anyway’ and ‘Give & Take’ show us Connolly doesn’t always need to crank it up to 11. Outstanding in its field is debut single ‘Stitch Yourself Up’, which transposes the wrath of a spurned lover to throbbing bass and soaring riffs.