Drifting apart...

You know when you lose a friend to a new boyfriend/ girlfriend. Your once reliable and very social mate suddenly disappears from sight because they are in love and can't stand to be separated from their new 'life' partner. You feel let down and slightly rejected but safe in the knowledge that once the novelty has worn off and the cracks start to show, they will come back to your social group, tail between their legs ready to pick up where they left off. We've all done it and we've all been the victim of it.

Now one of my favourite bands of the last five years was the Ordinary Boys.

Led by the enigmatic Sam Preston, they burst onto the scene with 2004's debut album 'Over the Counter Culture' which was a laddish, tongue in cheek affair that was in equal measures energetic,fun and heavily influenced by the mod, ska and Northern Beat bands of yesteryear such as The Specials, Madness, The Buzzcocks and The Jam. Preston had the look and mannerisms of a young Jam era Weller and his casually cool demeanor found a resonance with the lads culture of the early 90's.

Their first album spawned 4 hit singles including 'Talk, Talk, Talk' and 'Seaside' which were both staples on radio playlists and the influential Soccer AM, which helped launch the career of several indie bands through the years.

They looked the part dressed in their vintage Fred Perry tops, Harrington jackets, Sta-Prest trousers and Pork Pie hats. In an era where most bands were choosing the Manchester baggy look and were not seen without their vintage Adidas trainers and zipped all weather jackets, Preston and the gang bucked the trend in favour of their Carnaby Street inspired mod trappings.

Their live shows were like a warm and fuzzy trip down memory lane with their fans, 'The Ordinary Army' pogoing in unison to the foot stomping mod anthems delivered by Preston et al with a cheeky chappy charm that was reminiscent of the dance hall scene in Quadrophenia - you almost expected Phil Daniel's Jimmy to sidle up to you and offer you an upper or downer.

Their follow up album brassbound was equally as strong and like it's predecessor, was jam packed with hit songs that sounded like they were pulled straight from the London of the 60's'. 'Boys Will Be Boys' and 'Life Will Be The Death Of Me' were the two singles from this album and both are excellent examples of Preston's uncanny ability to write punchy songs, with memorable verses, sweeping choruses and compelling and thought provoking lyrics.

Preston was definitely the coolest cat on the block and led myself and the rest of The Ordinary Army on an musical adventure back in time, to an era when braces and Doc. Martens were cool and the night air was alive to the sound of Vespas and Lambrettas as the disconsolate youth of the time travelled from club to club, desperate to hear the best beats and a new sound they could dance the night away to.

Then he left us for a girl.

He deserted us in favour of a whirlwind romance whose inception was very publicly played out on the Celebrity Big Brother show. He turned his back on The Army he had amassed and decided to declare his undying love for an Essex girl, Chantelle Houghton, whose had said of herself, 'I'm a bright, blonde bimbo' and has been nicknamed Paris Travelodge by the press after announcing she felt she looked uncannily like Paris Hilton.

Overnight he lost all of his cool credo as day after day we were forced to watch him stalk Chantelle around the Big Brother house with a puppy dog expression on his face. He became soft and cuddly in front of our eyes and whereas most friends candy sweet romances are played out behind closed doors, we were privy to Preston's worst excesses of undying love complete with their sickly and gushing Clinton Cards sentiment.

He left the Big Brother house with Chatelle on his arm and almost immediately married her and set up an increasingly tacky home for them both, indulging all her Essex tastes no matter how outlandish, gaudy or downright bizarre they were.

He then committed his worst crime and the one that his Army will always find hard to forgive. He released an album so devoid of any decent material that he included the hit single 'Boys Will Be Boys' from the previous album to bolster the obvious shortcomings of his latest opus. There are no stand out tracks on the entire album and as a whole it sounds laboured and rushed...poorly executed. It also contains the ballad 'I Luv U' written for Chantelle, complete with phone text friendly moniker, that is truly dreadful. It deserves to sit alongside Celine Dion's Titanic song and Bryan Adams 'Everything I do...' as one of the tackiest and most contrived love songs to have been released in modern times. Some sentiments need to be kept private and vocalised face to face with the person you are talking to. Not recorded for prosperity and then released on the record buying public.

His marriage lasted just over a year and then Chantelle was gone - probably in reaction to the musical tragedy that was 'I Luv U' but we'll never know. The one thing we can say for sure is that somehow Preston needs to pick up the pieces of his once potentially glittering career and come back to his mates. We'll gladly accept him and in time forgive his dalliances as long as comes back undamaged and bearing presents - a shiny new album full of the classic Ordinary Boys material we all love so much. What we don't want to hear is an album filled with mournful dirges that show Preston crying into his beer. We want cheeky, chirpy, soulful tunes that bring us all back together again like the bunch of mates we used to be in the Summer of 94'.