The Treatment
Biography The Treatment
The Treatment
AT A TIME when so much rock music is defined according to a specific genre or sub-genre, it's refreshing for a new band to come along who are both happy and proud to be called simply ‘rock'... and when that band are still enjoying their teenage years, then the project becomes very exciting indeed: classic sounds filtered through young hearts an' minds.
A five-strong outfit based in the Cambridge area of the UK, The Treatment are indeed tender in years, but you'd never guess that from the quality of their song-writing or the confident swagger of their live show. It's only really the exuber-ance and in-built energy of their playing that gives the game away, adding a fresh-faced twist to some deeply classic grooves.
Combining the drive of early Def Leppard with the song-writing ability of prime UFO and Thin Lizzy, the whole thing underpinned by the sort of low-slung riffing redolent of early Aerosmith or G n' R, The Treatment are unashamedly inspired by an era when rock bands looked like rock bands and were generally intent on causing a stir (both onstage and off); an era when the lifestyle was important, when music was everything and when vinyl was king.
Already the five have a strong selection of material to their name, with 12-track debut album ‘This Might Hurt' sounding more like a ‘Greatest Hits' package than a debut recording; produced by experienced musician Laurie Mansworth (guitarist/songwriter with UK melodic rockers Airrace and with a new album of his own just out) and mixed by Tony Newton at Iron Maiden guitarist Steve Harris' Barnyard Studios, it's clear that these guys are hugely proud of their home-grown roots, with anthem-in-the-making ‘Nothing To Lose But Our Minds' tapping into the work of such quintessentially UK outfits as Mott The Hoople.
From the unbridled power-rush of ‘Departed', through statement track ‘The Doctor', onto out‘n'out rock juggernauts like ‘Lady Of The Night', ‘Shake The Mountain' and first single/video ‘Drink, F**k, Fight', The Treatment show they have the hunger and the drive to be an essential part of The Great Rock Revival; at a time when the genre is looking for true champions to slay the pop dragon and take the movement boldly into the future, The Treatment have the talent and the charisma to mark their mark worldwide. Being so young, they also have the time, but there's no hint of resting on laurels here.
Not only are The Treatment the real deal, they're 100 per cent fired up and ready to roll, having already put in a number of years of noses-to-the-grindstone dues-payin'. Since 2008, when 15-year-old schoolboy drummer Dhani Mansworth (son of Laurie) decided to put a band together, inspired by the all-time greats of the genre (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, etc.) and working under the wing of his father and manager Laurie (More, Airrace, Roadstar), the search was on to find fellow rock-headed, leather-wrapped musicians old an' wise beyond their years.
Unable to source players of the required standard, however, this search was soon extended to more far-flung parts of the country, and bit by bit the line-up began to take shape. First to join was lead guitarist Ben Brookland, then bassist Rick Newman (aka Swoggle), then rhythm guitarist Tagore Grey... but it was the crucial position of front-man that proved the hardest to fill, and it was a full six months before vocalist Matt Jones was (finally) discovered in Norwich.
