Following the departure of drummer Anthony Christmas and keyboardist Toby Hounsham from the lineup, leaving the band a four-piece, Rialto certainly had a challenge composing their second album. The result was 2001’s Night on Earth, which marked a stylistic change for the band, featuring more synthesised elements, and a drum machine.

The album opens with ‘London Crawling’ (perhaps a play on words of the famous Clash song), a song that Louis Eliot had previously recorded with his last band Kinky Machine. As with their last album, the trend of catchy choruses remains. While the tone of London Crawling is more upbeat, later songs, such as Catherine’s Wheel, take on a more melodic and perhaps introspective theme. Although Eliot clearly was not fond of being likened to Oasis and Pulp, the similarities remain, even if less pronounced than in the debut.

Rating: 6.5/10