IF SPEND The Night is a rock 'n' roll account of a night
on the town with the Donnas (none of whom are actually called
Donna), then chances are you won't remember much about it.
The band may have developed musically since their earlier cuts,
Get Skintight and Turn 21, but, thankfully, they
have lost none of the bouncing melodies, pop-punk guitars and
witty lyrics that makes The Donnas stand out from countless
clones. Kelly Osbourne may have the chart success and the Pepsi-Doritos
deals, but secretly she wishes she were a Donna.
The old influences still remain. The Ramones, The Runaways,
even The Sex Pistols, though The Donnas are far more attractive
and more fun. Kicking things off with the anthemic It's On
The Rocks and the lead single, Take It Off, it never
pauses for breath in its short 40 minutes, and there's not a
hint of a ballad anywhere.
In the world of The Donnas, it's all about parties, boys, sex,
and attitude. The confrontational Who Invited You? gives
a fantastic repost to those 'cool' party crashers ('we don't
care if you had more fun in Sunday School, 'cause who invited
you?') and yuppies get a severe bashing in Dirty Denim.
You meet everyone on a Donnas' night out.
If you're looking for soaring melodies and worthy lyrics, then
you'd be advised to stick to Coldplay, as The Donnas revel in
their shallow, simple lyrics.
If the album does become a little similar, it doesn't matter,
as, at only 40 minutes, it never outstays its welcome. Obviously
not to everyone's tastes, and they may never trouble the manufactured
dominant charts, but The Donnas are a blast. I can't think of
a better night out than spending it in the company of four,
cute, punk-party animals.
