On “50 to a Pound,” the album’s third track, the band begins to show off the true extent of their range along with the thickness of their accents as Tom Atkin’s vocals shine particularly well here (in a Joe Strummer as opposed to a Frank Sinatra kind of way) and the band displays its uncanny ability to combine truly catchy hooks with its all on assault, free for all, guitar style.

The boys are unabashedly British, uncompromisingly punk rock, and fearlessly confident in their musical direction.  This is most evident on the album's highlight “All Right in the Morning,” a soaring track that gives the greatest insight into the pure potential of The Paddingtons’ musical sense.  Under the obvious influence of the Specials, the Paddys bring the reggae hard, complete with mid song break down and bouncing reggae back beat, and yet, naturally avoiding seeming contrived, they lay down the most anthemic vocals on the album, complete with a hook that will be stuck in your head for days.

Throughout the rest of the record it becomes apparent that it is the forte of this band to combine their rough-edged pop sensibility (ala the Kinks) with a roots punk rock mentality. And this is a formula they are mindful not to diverge from, creating a truly listenable album from start to finish; a rarity in the current singles driven environment of the industry, due mostly to the growth of the market for downloadable music. 

The true brilliance in this record derives from the difficult and delicate balance the band consistently strikes, on literally every track of First Comes First. Building each song to an apex at a perfect meeting of tightly made, catchy pop music and dirty, and erratic, low-fi punk.  While many bands strive to reach this balance — achieving it with varying levels of success — The Paddingtons’ talent demands that they be examined and compared against the greatest song writers of punk lore, especially as their career evolves and progresses over the years.  While First Comes First is admittedly not London Calling, it may be Give ‘em Enough Rope, and for this reason alone, it is definitely time to stand up and take notice of the Paddingtons. 

Currently the Paddingtons are touring and – according to their listing on Wikipedia – are testing new material for an album to be released “in the near future.” Their website lists tour dates although the band is not currently scheduled to play any dates in the U.S.