The Next Big Brit-Rock Band Is From…Allston?
The rise of Protokoll.
- A bloody good time.
British bands like Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and the Arctic Monkeys have fans waving a Union Jack and eagerly awaiting the next big purveyor of that Brit-rock sound. Smart money says it might be the synth-pop quartet Protokoll, a band that perfectly fits the mold save for one tiny inconsistency: The group hails from Boston’s student jungle, not the puddles of Liverpool.
After playing for crowds of 1,500 in the U.K. last spring, the blokes have a busy fall closer to home promoting their new self-titled EP. With Albion-twanged lyrics, Protokoll’s sound is more fish and chips than burgers and fries, but members swear they aren’t cockney copycats. Okay, but what’s with the faux Brit accent? “Uh, I don’t know,” Afro’ed frontman Jose De Lara says in a more star-spangled cadence. “It sounds better for that particular style. I guess it’s subliminal.” Subliminal, our arse.
After playing for crowds of 1,500 in the U.K. last spring, the blokes have a busy fall closer to home promoting their new self-titled EP. With Albion-twanged lyrics, Protokoll’s sound is more fish and chips than burgers and fries, but members swear they aren’t cockney copycats. Okay, but what’s with the faux Brit accent? “Uh, I don’t know,” Afro’ed frontman Jose De Lara says in a more star-spangled cadence. “It sounds better for that particular style. I guess it’s subliminal.” Subliminal, our arse.
Originally published in Boston magazine, October 2006
