Third wave Belgian ska music may not be everyone's first choice when it comes to brassing up the sound system but the Overweight boys have constructed a tantalisingly tight knit blend of styles from reggae and ska to pop punk for their first full length album, 'The World For Sale'.

Following on from 2008's demo 'Back To Life With A Hangover', the five piece from Vilvoorde have cut ten tracks of raucous rock 'n' roll, mixing up some Goldfinger pop rock and some 'Mutiny' style Goldblade in the hope of punching their way into the public conciousness. The piratey stylee of the aforementioned 'Mutiny' is most prominent in the rum swigging jaunt of 'Ship Of Anarchy', a well placed centrepiece of a track that defines perfectly the essence of the laid back, this is my life attitude that permeates from the very depths of 'The World For Sale'. As a standout track 'Ship Of Anarchy' seems to be as good an indicator as any as to what a riotous collection of tracks Overweight have stitched to their black and white flag.

'Don't Be An Idealist' and 'Rollercoaster' are both reminiscent of Brit hopefuls Random Hand and Overweight vocalist/trombonist Gert Thielemans provides some full sounding passionate vocals that aren't a million miles away from those of Robin Leitch. The bass is prominent throughout, in your face and throbbing like a hammered thumb, a pulsing punk vibe rooted firmly beneath the more mainstream façade that wraps around the tracks. At times there's a real sense of mainstream accessibility during the more poppy punk numbers like 'Not A Good Day' which has serious echoes of Blink 182's 'Dude Ranch' era. Yet there's also a maturity to the writing that certainly isn't eclipsed by the youthful nature of the music. This is nowhere more noticeable than on opening track 'Eric' which dives straight into the subject of homelessness. A four minute run through of life on the streets that paints a pretty bleak picture for poor old Eric. It's clear that there's a deep sense of social justice that runs through the veins of the band and this seems to give 'The World For Sale', obviously, a far more "European" approach to the delivery and style of the music and lyrics than what's often offered up by some American counterparts where everything's sunshine and cupcakes. In short, Overweight dish out the perfect type of ska for a rainy day.

Of the ten tracks that make up this debut I can honestly say there's not one dud. All are have the potential to reel in new fans should they get the exposure they need to succeed, and all fulfil the promise that Overweight have been building towards since their inception. Final track 'Back In Town' sends things off with one last fantastic kicking up of dust in a storm of up tempo drums and horns which leaves me wondering ........ Contenders? Well 'The World For Sale' certainly gives Overweight a strong enough stance to stand toe to toe with the big boys. A fine collection of songs that could tick many a box on any ska lover's wish list. If you like some horns now and then you could do far worse than giving a few minutes of your time to these fat brasstards and check out some of their tunes here: www.myspace.com/overweightmusic

Some UK dates are booked in for March so there's an opportunity for a quality night out and a chance to catch these guys taking some skanking steps outside of their home country. So please don't discriminate just cos these guys are Overweight, remember what John Lennon said and give obese a chance!