Well, well well… I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the ludicrous Gypsy Pistoleros, the ‘Flamenco Glam’ outlet for perennial rock n’roll dreamer Lee-Mark Jones.

Jones is one of rock n’roll’s fringe dwellers, a man – like many in this business, it has to be said – who never seemed to be able to get the backing together, whether financial or musical, to see his dreams and schemes through to conclusion. The last of the great dreamers, indeed…

Over the last few years he’s tweaked his Pistoleros, released a few notable covers that fit in with the Gypsy ethos and, at last, he seems to be gaining traction, with a deal signed with venerable grindcore label Earache and an album in the can recorded by Britrock producer de jour Dave Draper. You may think there’s an underlying carp to what I write – but this little upturn in fortunes really couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

And whether it’s the presence of Draper tightening up the studio craft, whether it’s the fact that this is undoubtedly the best lineup to back Gypsy Lee Pistolero yet… or whether the fact that this record features some of the best songs the band have written is the sole deciding factor, I don’t know. Probably it’s a combination of all these things, but suddenly, finally, on superb anthem Like Tears In The Rain and the rollicking cover of Dexy’s timeless floor filler Come On Eileen, this is a band that sounds like a bunch of contenders rather than the bozos at the bottom of the bill on Spanish night at the Wheeltappers and Shunters…

Finally the fire in Jones’ eyes has direction, finally the whole Gypsy Pistolero schtick makes sense. This is a band whose time would appear to be now, and I’ll be clapping every step of their road to World Domination… probably. But all joking apart, this is a band that deserves a few breaks, and this is an album that just might make those breaks happen – Viva Los Pistoleros!

Duende A Gogo Loco releases on November 3rd.