London - February 2002

A young, wide-eyed boy legs it to 'Old Blighty' for the first time in search of culture and history. Inexperience and naivete soon comes to the fore as he realises that the dead of winter wasn't the best time to book his flight to Heathrow. The terrible climate matters not as he races post-haste to the closest Rough Trade to warm his soul with musical delights from the mother country. Okay, he went sightseeing for a few days, but then he went searching for music.

Browsing through the masses of Stereophonics and Toploader records, the kid comes across a new group from Cornwall called Haven. Their sad and lonely faces adorn the cover with Stones Rose-style artwork glossed over it. As if that didn't immediately make the kid think that Chris Martin and Fran Healy had a new member in their club, the revelation that Johnny Marr produced the album made it an instant buy. That out of the way, the kid could enjoy the rest of his warm, sunny holiday. Oh, that's right

Gold Coast - June 2004

A young man collects the latest copy of a well-known smarmy British music magazine from his local news stand, knowing full well that 'latest copy' actually means '3 months late'. Flipping straight to the album review section, the man discovers to his surprise that the band he fell in love with on that trip to London had resurfaced with new material.

In the 2 = years between drinks, Haven's star didn't shine as brightly as that naive young kid would've hoped. The mere fact that when it all came down to it, the group weren't releasing anything different to say Starsailor, wasn't helping their ability to stand out from the other kids. Coupled with guitarist Nat Watson being struck down with Bell's Palsy and Coldplay returning to conquer not only gawky American actresses but the world as well, Haven's future looked somewhat glum.

It is with no surprise that if Haven were to go down fighting, then they might as well give it their all. With Johnny Marr once again at the helm and Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers, Idlewild) taking a few tracks, "All For a Reason" is a statement of intent from a band who feel they need to prove a point or two.

The main reason for debut "Between The Senses" relative failure to set the music world alight was the feeling that it was stuck in the same gear for the album's entirety (read: Melodramatic, Shoe-Gazing choons). "All For A Reason" however shifts from mid-tempo balladry ('The First Time', 'Wouldn't Change A Thing') to modern rock, with efforts such as 'What Love Is' and the closer 'Getaway', like a well oiled machine. So did they have this in them all along and just played it safe first time around? Gutsy move I must say.

Immediately the album starts off on a much sunnier note with 'Change Direction' before heading into the triumphant 'Have No Fear'. With ringing guitars doubling as backing vocals and an inspiring chorus ("I'll be right here until the end"), 'Have No Fear' deserves to finally put Haven in the spotlight. The Harmonica and Handclaps that accompany the moody college radio track 'Something Moved Me' are a welcome surprise but not all together unexpected considering who is producing the album.

The use of strings on at least one of the tracks was a predictable one but thankfully they appear on the driving and up beat 'Don't Say A Word' (ironically similar to what Starsailor are now peddling) rather than falling for the clichi of the ballad track. Really, Haven's only slight on the album is 'Wouldn't Change A Thing' for the simple fact that it sounds exactly like it was nicked from the first album. Hardly a jailable offence by any means.

So with things back on track and interest in British Rock once again at high levels, hopefully they may make inroads overseas like their fellow countrymen.

This young man can only dream.