Foo Fighters: 'Cheer Up, Boys (Your Makeup Is Running)'

'Cheer Up, Boys (Your Makeup Is Running)', the third single from the Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace album, is a stomping, mosh-inducing rock tune. The Foos have always tended to switch between extremes - for every 'Monkey Wrench' there's a 'Next Year', a 'Pretender' is usually followed by a 'Long Road to Ruin' - but fans clamouring for a more direct rock track won't be disappointed here.

With a title that's perhaps a sly dig at the Fall Out Boy-led emo scene, this single has the feel of their classic 1997 album, The Colour and the Shape; its fret-dancing intro, frantic drumming and shout-along chorus combine to make three-and-a-half minutes of radio-friendly rock. The Foos have managed to demonstrate a more sensitive, restrained side in recent times, particularly on 2005's half-electric, half-acoustic album In Your Honour, but 'Cheer Up Boys' proves they're at their best when cutting loose on an energetic rocker.


> Click here for our review of Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace