The Shunkos, Only Fools And Corpses / Harbour Way – Afan Ales & Fine Wines, Port Talbot (04.03.23)

The Shunkos, Only Fools And Corpses / Harbour Way – Afan Ales & Fine Wines, Port Talbot (04.03.23)

Punk Rock at the Offie part ii. Oh what a night Russ Abbott sang but he couldn’t possibly have had The St Davids Showdown at Afan Ales & Fine Wines could he? By eleven O’Clock it might have resembled one of Russ’ parties – bodies everywhere inside and out. soaking wet bodies with beaming smiles and bear hugs. This was DIY punk rock at its finest, most primal and the kids were having a ball.

Heavy Groovers Harbour Way got proceedings off to a flier with their Helmet heavy style riff-a-drama. Warming up the audience is no mean feat on nights like this just relax sit back and let go. Sadly for them, the sound was like a hangover from the 80s Russ Abbotts madhouse – all snare drum and no vocals, lost in a wall of noise and feedback. It was tough to distinguish what was what, other than a barking groove – mixed with howling feedback that was threatening these boys’ efforts to kick out the jams. If you want to know what they played then good luck because by the end it they were sweaty, breathless and out of tune. I imagine none of the band could hear what the other was doing or playing and were running on memory which was a pity but nobody seemed detered or put off – things were just warming up.

By the time Only Fools And Corpses took to the floor people were indeed loosening up and the band jumped right in with their short, but sweet set of Hardcore, alternative, and post-punk. Mixing the likes of Idles with old-school Fugazi and Therapy? & a whole lot in between. They dished up songs off their, soon-to-be-released album, ‘Pissant’ and clicked into the vibe of what was happening around them. They used the energy that resulted in them going down a storm. The sound was a little better but still, the vocal was just about audible now either that or the Cider was taking effect and I wasn’t noticing anymore. This south Wales three-piece were coping well trying to tame the savage beast that was the PA but the overall feeling was incredible. I look forward to hearing more from these gents, They did well loosening up the already baying throng of drunken loons.

There is a growing local scene happening in South Wales where the kids are starting bands and playing at every available venue and it’s good to see. To be fair Afan Ales is a fuckin off license. Little more than a shop on a high street that’s crammed to bursting with people jostling for position in what was now a swirling pit of bodies loving life and loving some noisy punk rock.

To top off this evening, The Shunkos got down to business, again, frontman Mal was struggling to cut through with his vocals but he didn’t care in his St Davids Day costume of tight head prop he tried his best to compare and lead the avalanche of noise from the band who to be fair are getting tighter and more tuned in with each show it didn’t matter because this was what local punk rock should sound and look like – no poseurs, no dick swinging, no my bands better than yours it was all for one and one for all and everyone up for a good time.

With this being their home turf it was This St Davids’s Day Massacre that set the hills alive with the sound of The Shunkos. Bodies & Beer everywhere, it was a short but sweet set that had the band beating out their best performance of their short-lived lives, ‘Meal Deal’, ‘Chippy Tea’ the thunderous ‘Uni Mate’ and some of their other recorded tunes being punched out and ending with the anthemic ‘Beer & Gear’, they came they saw, they conquered.

Dare I suggest, next time they come back for the hattrick of Rock at the offie performances they get a PA big enough to cope with the power they want to push out – the PA they bloodywell deserved. Tonight the good people of Port Talbot wanted to hear Harbour Way, Only Fools & Corpses and The Shunkos who ultimatly delivered the goods The real deal or the meal deal you decide bacause this time next year boyos we could all be millionaires.

Top night out everything you want in a DIY punk Show. Cheap Beer, Great music, Great venue, and Great happy people. result!

Punk Rock is alive and kicking and I can’t wait for ‘Punk at the Offie III’ it has to happen – Bosh! ave’ it!

Author: Dom Daley

Shunkos

Only Fools & Corpses

Harbour Way

Grade 2/Clobber/Fatal Blow/Split Dogs – Newport, The Cab – 4th March 2023

Grade 2/Clobber/Fatal Blow/Split Dogs – Newport, The Cab – 4<sup>th</sup> March 2023

Situated just a stone’s throw from the city’s railway station, The Cab is Newport’s newest live music venue. Started as a community project it provides a whole lot more for the locals other than live music though, for example, the venue also acts as a warm hub/drop in providing hot meals for those needing them, something I loudly applaud them for doing. Tonight though it’s all about the second night of Grade 2’s tour in support of their recently released ‘Self Titled’ album, and what’s more it’s a sold-out show too.

Playing their second gig of the day it’s Bristol punks Split Dogs who I walk in on mid set (apologies, as I once again struggled to find a nearby parking space so ended up half way across town) and on finding a decent vantage spot in the already steaming hot venue it’s like I’m immediately transported back in time to when TJs was the go-to place in the local area. The atmosphere is friendly, the bar prices are sensible, and perhaps most importantly of all the bands are not about to be fleeced 25% of their merch money at the end of the night. Anyway, I digress (slightly) because Split Dogs are the kind of band that live off their takings on the merch table, and tonight whilst their shirts will set you back just £10, sadly there’s no music to physically buy as what I experience tonight would most certainly have had me parting with my hard earned for a CD or maybe even a piece of vinyl. The mix of gritty female vocals over hard edged old school punk rock reminding me at times of our old US buddies Chesty Malone & The Slice ‘Em Ups and in ‘Tear Down The House’ they have a mighty fine anthem in the making. A terrific start to the night.

Next up tonight are local oi!/streetpunks Fatal Blow, and the established name that they are on the local punk scene they immediately get the crowd moving en masse (in fact I suspect there’s quite a few in here tonight who’ve come to see Fatal Blow first and foremost). Proudly anti-fascist and working class, the likes of ‘Spirit of 69’ and ‘Tent City Reality’ are always going to resonate with anyone with a moral backbone and when they are delivered with the gusto of a Welsh Cock Sparrer what’s not to love? Fatal Blow are proudly old school and bloody brilliant at what they do, full stop.

If Fatal Blow are the keepers of the punk rock flame of old, then London combo (and Grade 2 tour support) Clobber are the punk rock inferno of the future. Singer Chris and his bandmates delivering short, sharp, blasts of hardcore punk that immediately see the younger members of the audience busting out their finest dancefloor moves. With The Cab all about community, Clobber are the venue’s natural house band as their songs deal head-on with subjects like toxic masculinity, capitalism, and the importance of society in the modern day, and you really aren’t going to argue with the ‘Hardcore Hive Mind’ when they are in full flow. Very much for fans of bands like The Chisel or indeed the old-school original lineup of Gallows. I’ll be looking out for what Clobber do next following this run of 17 shows as hopefully they’ll then get to capitalise on the upcoming release of their debut EP via their freshly inked deal with Venn Records (and there I was mentioning early Gallows).  Come ‘n’ ‘ave a go if you think you’re hard enough.

2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Grade 2 as a band, with the trio celebrating their special birthday by touring the arse off their recently released ‘Self Titled’ album (you can read the RPM review HERE), a record that will surely feature highly on everyone’s Albums of the Year lists come the year’s end. Sid, Jacob and Jack are not about to rest of their major label laurels though with headline club shows scheduled right across the UK and Ireland, and tonight is their very first time playing in Wales. It’s also the first time I’ve seen Grade 2 play a headline set, so the mix of old and new tunes is an instant recipe for me (along with around another hundred people) to instantly look to lose our voices singing along to the likes of ‘Brassic’ and ‘Under The Streelight’ from their awesome new record seamlessly blending with the likes of ‘Hearts Of Gold’, ‘Graveyard Island’ and ‘Bowling Green Lane’ to provide the perfect soundtrack to any discerning punk rocker’s night out.  I’ll admit that this time around in this extended headline format the band do remind me more than just a little of ‘…And Out Come The Wolves’ era Rancid than they have when I’ve seen them previously, and their feet are still well and truly planted on the ground. As evidenced when bassist/singer Sid Ryan mentions towards the end of the night that two dates into their six-week tour he’s already “feeling it”, he’s immediately put in his place with local scene legend and Drunken Marksman frontman Pig telling him to “quit moaning and get on with it”, Sid quick as a flash, joking in reply, that the job as his tour motivational coach is now Pig’s. Priceless stuff indeed.

As their first live date in Wales, I’m sure their night in The Cab will long be etched into the Grade 2 memory banks, and for all the right reasons too. That’s because Grade 2 are not only a great live band but also a great bunch of lads too, if you get the chance to see them on this tour or their upcoming UK summer shows with Rancid and The Bronx, do not hesitate to snap up the ticket.

Clobber and Split Dogs pics by Johnny Hayward

Thanks to Kevin “Scottie” Hunt for the use of his Fatal Blow and Grade 2 pics. You can catch Scottie’s excellent ‘This Ain’t No Disco Radio Show’ every Tuesday from 8 pm to 10 pm on Wolfman Radio by scanning the QR code below or going to http://www.wolfmanradio.co.uk/

Author: Johnny Hayward

Gaffer – ‘Dead End Beat’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

Gaffer – ‘Dead End Beat’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

It’s loud, rapid, lo-fi punk rock oh and its on Drunken Sailor Records so it must be quality right? Right! Gaffer hail from Perth Australia and play punk rock. Thats it in a nut shell. Its inspired from way back when UK punk 82 hit the streets and bands like Chron Gen, Blitz and Partisans were learning to play punk rock. It’s pretty much twelve songs about life hacked out by a bunch of punks living the dream but with grit and determination and a love for what gets them through and enables them to play and record this. ‘Handcuff’ is punchy, mid tempo pogo pogo punk rock. The lyrics are spat out and the guitars are sharp as they hack and slash through your speakers. Old school from the new school paying respect but doing it their way.

‘Factory’ is slower but no less punchy as they champion Factory life. It is what it is with the one string solo hanging on by a thread its punk rock baby – authentic and enchanting. It draws you in and retains your attention exactly as it should be.

The album lists back and fore from fast punk rock with guts and aggression (‘Wonga’) through the more focussed catchy (‘Hang’) to the swaggering (‘Deadbeat’). You have to love the smash and grab of ‘Generation Gap’ as the cymbals crash and that riff cuts deep. It’s true what they say about the louder you play it the better it sounds. It certainly grabs your attention and whilst its nothing new it is a fresh take on a style long forgotten – whilst many of the originators went forward with a more metallic sound Gaffer stay true to their roots and dish up a fine platter of punk for a new generation. The more you dig into this album the better songs jup out on you from ‘Skin Of Your Teeth’, the excellent ‘Stop’ and the early Buzzcocks of ‘Clean Shirt’ my suggestion is if you’re looking for some fresh blood on an old genre of UK 82 then Gaffer is your one stop shop – Go get some and invite your friends.

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Author: Dom Daley

Anti Flag – ‘Lies They Tell Our Children’ (Spinefarm Records)

Anti Flag – ‘Lies They Tell Our Children’ (Spinefarm Records)

It’s the 13th studio album from the pogoing Pittsburgh punk rockers. The band has gone as far as stating that this record is something of a concept album! Cripes do we run for the hills as punk goes prog, will it unfold as something of a Punk Floyd record? Fuck I hope not. However, it does say that the band’s staple ingredients are front and center so maybe relax and not worry and just drop the needle.

To accompany the first Anti Flag Concept album they have roped in a whole bunch of artists to mix it up on this record from esse Leach of Killswitch Engage, Shane Told of Silverstein, Tim McIlrath of Rise Against & Brian Baker of Bad Religion, Ashrita Kumar of Pinkshift, Campaino of Die Toten Hosen, Tré Burt and Stacey Dee of Bad Cop/Bad Cop. ITs fair to say the band has cast it’s net far and wide and pulled in an impressive and diverse band of brothers and sisters to help them out.

You get eased in gently with the guitar and vocal of ‘Sold Everything’ before the drums pound in with the huge gang vocals. Dare I say it the elephant in the room called Green Day who probably made this kinda record possible and short and sweet it’s a decent opener.

Turn up the heaviness as ‘Modern Meta Medicine’ twists and turns its way through the speakers reaching the chorus with a thumping modern sound. Quite intense leading to some classic Anti Flag in the shape of the chant along ‘Laugh. Cry. Smile. Die’ Not quite a eat em and smile kinda lyrical journey but then this is Anti Flag.

‘The Fight Of Our Lives’ begins with a vocal over a buzzing guitar riff as we head to layered vocals that give proceedings a huge sound and a gloss that you often get from Anti Flag Theirs is a slick operation and nothing is left to improvisation and often comes across as sterile and clinical. ‘Imperialism’ featuring Ashrita Kumar from Pinkshift is the highlight so far thumping out the attitude ten to the dozen on what is a really decent song. Plenty of snot as the punk rock is amped up.

Campaino joins the band on the anthemic ‘Victory Or Death (We Gave Em Hell)’ before ‘The Hazardous’ sees the band head out without a collaborator on board with a thumping song. The next few songs sound intense and flow well together with ‘Work & Struggle’ being another high point on the record.’Nvrevr’ is down with the kids in the title as the song is fired off at a rapid pace with Stacey Dee of Bad Cop/Bad Cop lending a hand.

Hell were on the final cut ‘Only In My Head’, wow, that was quick. Maybe the sign of a good record that it kinda flew by and I wanted to dive straight back in for another round. I would say after having it on rotation with Iggy Pop for the last week I’m enjoying both and different songs are leaning out of the speakers and grabbing me on different plays so I’m hoping this album and its concepts keep giving up secrets here and there with every play and it turns out to be a grower not a shower.

I feel good after listening to the new Anti Flag as a concept it works well and the guests add different flavours to a very distinct style and sound that the band has. The fact that Anti Flag are taking chances means that I’m taking chances and sticking with this record, hoping that by the end of 2023 I’m still spinning it because I’ve always had time for these Pitsburg punks because they’ve always had time for the underdog and the underclass. They’ve rallied against corrupt Governments and injustices with a consistent and quality product that has provided me with a lot of fantastic music over the last few decades. On this evidence, it seems all is right in the Anti-Flag camp and the fire still burns maybe even stronger than ever. It’s never too late to get on board with Anti Flag.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley

Daddy’s Boy – ‘Great News!’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

Daddy’s Boy – ‘Great News!’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

‘Questionably a hardcore band’ is how Daddy’s Boy describe themselves, and one listen to their discombobulatingly brilliant debut LP should answer all your questions as to what that could possibly mean. Recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, GREAT NEWS! is the sound of punk folding in on itself and racing through sounds you might have previously identified with dumb genre tags like post-punk and possibly even no-wave – except this isn’t either of those things. When I first heard ‘Work Wont Love You Back’ I remembered hearing bands like NoMeansNo for the first time with the jarring guitars and the lecturing vocals that are an address rather than a melody. It’s Dischord and jarring across a hypnotic rhythm and frantic riffe-a-rama, eventually settling on something that’s… well, kinda uniquely Daddy’s Boy.

Crass meets NomeansNo America and UK noise makers clashing in the middle. The chaos rains down on you song after song it’s like a form of hypnosis raining down on you and you are powerless to stop it. poking you on the forehead with riff after riff but not in a uniform way either. ‘The Poster’ is experimental with the main rhythm filtering into the red and it sounds great louder and louder!

‘Superspreaders’ would have been born from out of the pandemic with clever rhythms ebbing and flowing nicely. ‘Eddie Says’ is just delightful hardcore- punishing the listener with frantic chords washing over you. There is no respite throughout the eleven tracks with some starting with the same splat of the snare before raging off into the distance with your soul.

Finishing off with a brutal mixture of throbbing bass on ‘Do You Like Music’ with its drilling snare explosions and ear-bursting noise before handing over the baton for a sub one-minute blast beat exercise in shock and awe entitled ‘New York City Jort Authority’ chaos is your friend and music that pushes the boundaries is always worth investing in like a palate cleanser Daddys Boy goes for the jugular and takes no prisoners – not for the faint hearted but well worth checking out.

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Author: Dom Daley

The Damned – Smalltown Tigers, TV Smith, The Skids – Hammersmith Eventim Apollo 28.10.22

The Damned – Smalltown Tigers, TV Smith, The Skids – Hammersmith Eventim Apollo 28.10.22

As we gathered slowly in the cavernous Hammersmith Odeon at the ungodly hour of half six the Italian trio Smalltown Tigers strode onto the vast stage and proceeded to deliver an energetic set of power pop punk rock with some great hooks and plenty of tunes The Smalltown Tigers seemed to be loving life. It’s a shame there wasn’t a capacity crowd in already as I think that would have helped with the energy of going on so early but it would have been a tick off the bucket list to tell anyone they’d played the famous place and with The original Damned. I think had it been in a small tight club these three ladies would have enhanced their reputation tenfold so until next time…

Next up was the ever-enthusiastic TV Smith & The Bored Teenagers who proceeded to waste no time in taking out two mics, getting tangled with a third in the bass player guitar lead but still managing to race around like a teenager. TV delivered a really good set with an impressive catalogue of songs always opening with ‘No Time To Be Twenty One’ which set the tone. Playing with boundless energy and class and ending with a rather splendid hattrick of songs in ‘Bored Teenager’, ‘Gary Gilmores Eyes’ and ‘One Chord Wonder’ leaving the stage to rapturous applause to a now swelling audience.

TV was followed by The Skids who again rose to the occasion with an impressive ten-song set that included (the U2 song) (I know I’m only yanking your chain) ‘The Saints Are Coming’ an excellent ‘Circus Games’ some memorable as did the Hits of ‘Yankee Dollar’, ‘Masquerade’ and the most excellent ‘Into the Valley’ Jobson dancing and some very amusing banter from the frontman as well. By now the venue was packed and everyone seemed in a great mood up for it and joining in which was fed back from the stage before playing tribute to brothers’ fallen as a worthy rendition of ‘Complete Control’ was covered and they thoroughly deserved their ovation as they left the stage.

Finally, the moment had arrived and a show they said could never happen was upon us and the excitement was building. Well, It was just about to bloomingwell happen. when these four walked off stage back in the turn of the 90s I thoguht like many (the band included) that was that, never to be repeated but sometimes if you dream hard enough those dreams can come true.

Now I know Damned fans can be a funny old bunch and famously hard to please but not this bunny, nope me I thoroughly enjoyed turning back the clock. It was exactly what I’d hoped it would be, the incendiary debut album with a healthy splash of ‘Music For Pleasure’ teetering on the right side of under-rehearsed and as garage as fucking possible. Fuckin’ beautiful! So they’re a lot older and Brian was physically a bit shaky but fuck me the man has magic in those fingers and a tone to die for. Rat was never a drum tickler; more a smash-and-dash player who played with his heart on the inside of that snare he always felt his way through songs knowing when to give it some (al a Moon) and when to lay back and shuffle and you never lose that if you’re one of the great. Rat Scabies is one of the greats and tonight he played like he was actually enjoying it and the realisation that fuck me – The Damned could play and more importantly, they had the tunes to go with the chops.

sure right from the off Captain and Dave looked like they were on top of the brief and were enjoying being part of history and for this to work there wasn’t time to fuck about or scratch old wounds this was a celebration that they have endured and triumphed in the face of adversity and competing with a pandemic this day had finally arrived and it was spectacular.

Now I’ve never subscribed to the misconception that ‘Music For Pleasure’ was a dud and on the back of the spectacular debut they’d run out of ideas and tonight I was overdosing on the record getting my fill of tunes from the horn-honking ‘Alone’ to the MO of ‘You Take My Money’ via the non-album tracks like ‘Stretcher Case Baby’ and the splendid ‘Problem Child’ they should champion that bloody record and tonight it got a fair airing.

Brian delivered the abrasive garage chops with tone and panache and plenty of volume whilst the much-underrated rhythm section of Captain and Rat held it together in fine fashion. So it was hanging on by a thread at times but that was always part of the appeal, wasn’t it? This was punk rock with a huge dash of Garage just like Their heroes The Stooges this band could go toe to toe and in my humble opinion give Iggy and the gang a TKO on the song front as a friend once said to me The Damned were his Beatles and I have to agree having seen them dozen and dozens of times over many decades this one seemed special, after the pandemic and shall we say disagreements this seemed special, Cathartic, emotional and just about perfect.

The band was smiling and actually looked like they knew this was the right decision and playing these songs again together was absolutely the right thing to do and that shone through in their delivery. Vanian must have struck a deal with Beelzebub as he looked as lean as he’s always done, stalking the stage, sometimes in the wrong key sometimes not, but who actually cared it was never meant to be anything other than four men hammering out some of the finest songs ever written, their place and time in music should never be a footnote to the Pistols and Clash but the other way around they were the first to kick this off and trailblazers they have always been and paying tribute to their achievements as those trailblazers the set was perfect with a fine balance of debut album songs – hell, they even smashed out a brutal ‘Stab Your Back’ which might have been the tightest song of the night. From opening with ‘I Feel Alright’ this was more than alright this was beautiful right through to ‘New Rose’ but not before they delivered ‘Pills’ and as they’ve done before it was a poignant ‘the LAst Time’ and into the night the four heroes went. That was emotional just like Rock and Roll was intended to sound. Raw, electric, and dangerous. Fuck I love The Damned, can we do this again sometime, please?

Author: Dom Daley

ANTiSEEN – ‘The Dawn of ANTiSEEN 1984-1986’ (Bang! Records)

ANTiSEEN – ‘The Dawn of ANTiSEEN 1984-1986’ (Bang! Records)

Bang! has been responsible for releasing some pretty awesome records over the years from bands that spearheaded an underground punk scene and whose records are rarer than hen’s teeth so it’s nice to see plenty get repressed like AntiSeen.

These tracks were originally released on their mid-80s EPs and are now all together for the first time on vinyl which saves a lot of ball ache if you are serious about delving into the past of punk rock. Newly remastered and with previously unreleased photography, this is the “Kings of Destructo-Rock” at their most primal!

According to Jeff Clayton’s words: “What you have here is a collection of the earliest releases of a band made up mostly of small southern town guys trying to make a name for themselves in the ‘big city’. With little help or guidance (with the exception of a few very influential cases) we created what became our sound and our attitude that would stay with us for four decades. Come hear the Dawn Of Antiseen.” and that’s about it in a nutshell. The quality of production is decent to ropey as you might expect and the same can be said of the songs on offer as well.

Opening with ‘Queen City Stomp’ its raw, rapid and punk as fuck which is exactly what you’d expect from these miscreants. They take their love of The Ramones and (probably) Motorhead to its punk rock extremes and run with it. The playing is fairly loose on tracks like ‘Nothings Cool’ and they often played the same riff at varying tempos and just wrote new lyrics about depraved subjects, teenage boredom, girls, booze, isolation and punk rock (what else were you expecting?)

what they do best is when they put their limited talent to good use and go for broke like on songs like ‘Destructo Rock’ it’s dumb and full of cum and they stumble to the finish line. What you do get is a lot of music to get through there are twenty-four tracks on offer here. Some of the lyrics are questionable and some of the production is Tascam demo at best but to some, that’s the charm right there. ‘Drug Throguh The Mud’ is like the DK’s on even cheaper amphetamines.

Side two opens with ‘Hammer Head’ totally exempt from any bottom end its scratching at your ears with a rusty nail and the chorus is hilarious going for a pound shop rob Tyner MC5 on the chorus but sounding more like the Barron nights doing motorhead shame really because with a beefed up bottom end songs like this would be brutal. ‘White Trash Bitch’ is more of the same, could be a banger with decent production and a low-end thump. Probably best to dip in because a one-sit-in trawl would be a trip only the hardcore could withstand. Again I’d reiterate that labels like Bang! provide a great service because I like many others wouldn’t have gotten hold of a lot of these early tracks and it’s great to hear a band’s career where it began and progressed from. Antiseen has always been punk as fuck and part of the underground of American punk rock that has always intrigued me from this side of the pond and it’s been a good trip delving into the origins of the band I’ve known about but not heard a great deal from until now. If you like this then get on some ‘Eat More Possums’ another Bang! reissue from one of punk rocks enduring bands who are still doing it in 2022 – creators of Destructo death punk at its finest noisy best.

http://www.bang-records.net/

https://www.facebook.com/BANGRECORDS

Liquids – ‘Life Is Pain Idiot’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

Liquids – ‘Life Is Pain Idiot’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

Liquids recorded this album with the help of Erik Nervous. Then Erik mixed, mastered and released it via his label Nail Biter Records. It is distributed by Drunken Sailor Records (for the UK) and Australia’s finest Computer Human Records. In the United States the record is available from Violent Pest Records and is limited colour pressing. That should be all the background you need when investigating this album.

Ok Ok maybe not all the info you need to make an informed choice but its like the seal of quality. Liquids’ Mat Williams seemed like one of those creative punk rockers who was going to release what he wrote and as often as the weeds grow in my yard. Prolific is another word you could useif you kept your ear to the ground but don’t take your eye off social media or you’ll miss a release. Two albums (one a double) and a whole lot besides were pumped out of Indiana between 2015-18. You know the drill hardcore, Ramones pop, A splash of Devo, and more but that gives you the gist. I guess I’d align with Alex Wonk for quality of output maybe even more prolific Then it went quiet. then after several years of nowt, it was a new album last year this fucker but this has some added junk in the trunk and on vinyl. Twenty-seven tracks to be precise. Sure it’s Lo-Fi it’s not going to be high fidelity half-speed remastering but to be fair most of the songs only last under a minute with a couple barely stretching out over two FFS! Hell, how did I miss this even as a digital release it’s got a cover of Meat Loaf ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ that is almost prog length reaching out over three minutes although I’m sure Meat would have liked this version much better than his bloated anthem. It reminds me of The Briefs goofing around, Genius? Hell Yeah!

Some of the jerking rhythms are like a sped-up Undertones ‘Nobody Likes You’ is like a fucked-up Scooby Doo tune The Briefs meets NomeansNo at times and some of these songs are so rapid that even some speed metal bands would bow down with respect. ‘Life Of Oi’ is a pair of 18-holers moon stomping all about the place. The covers don’t end there as ‘Strutter’ is taken to school and given a proper punk rock makeover even Gene would raise an eyebrow for. The four bonus tracks are also all killer and no filler. A hot mess of an album that I can’t recommend highly enough. It’s punk rock baby but not of this earth what a top top record! Buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley

Continental Lovers – ‘Dale Arden Vs The World’ (Bandcamp)

Continental Lovers – ‘Dale Arden Vs The World’ (Bandcamp)

Released via Bandcamp to be getting on with, I’m assured it’s also getting a vinyl press on snap! Records (or at least some of them are) On this evidence it richly deserves that vinyl pressing and a whole lot more besides.

Continental Lovers is the workings of former Breakdown band leader Joe Maddox who was busy writing tunes prior to the pandemic and decided to recruit some likeminded band members who had a passion for good time Rock and Roll with a penchant for big choruses like Cheap Trick and a few other notable seventies rock n rollas. A dash of punk Rock snot and a whole heap of attitude and when it’s put together by people who clearly love the music and respect where it’s come from it deserves to rise straight to the top of the pile. Joe has put together a bunch of Trash Rock monsters that are glittering examples of just how to do trashy punk and on this evidence, it won’t be too long before the support slots are the thing of the past and its headline shows in packed venues for The Continental Lovers.

Some of the songs were tested out on the public as demos over the last year or so but the punch of songs like ‘St Joan’ are excellent. short songs with big hooks and no messing about are exactly what’s on offer here. Punching like a heavyweight but these haymakers aren’t random swinging but more lazer-guided jabs to the temple.

Six tracks just about make for side one of an album, but we’ll investigate them one by one, hopefully, we can give them the respect they deserve. None of these tunes overstay their welcome and most nestle around the two-minute mark kicking off with ‘Tape Deck’ which is a sprightly, snotty dust-up where Joe gets on with the job of kicking out the jams with no fucking about. Cool, calm, and right up for it. ‘Really Doesn’t Matter’ has the feel of his old band The Breakdowns with an excellent melody and I love the tone of the guitar break which nails it and pulls the whole tune together. A cool backbeat and some sunshine Rock n Roll blasting through the speakers.

‘Tattered Star’ is Trashy Rock n Roll in all its finery. There’s a familiarity about it like slipping into a well-worn pair of creepers that have some wickedly comfortable insoles for you to bop til you drop. Continental Lovers clearly know where their music comes from and have big enough hearts to use that history and write new songs for the 21st century whilst doffing that gatsby to the past.

‘St Joan’ pays tribute to the Queen of noise – Ms. Jett and they nail the riff to the lyrics and pen a killer song that is fitting someone so cool. I hope she gets to hear it and who knows take these guys out on tour and duet this one cheek to cheek. ‘Can’t Get Her Out Of My Head’ is sub two minutes of 1-2-3-4 hey ho let’s go. It’s got attitude and a cheeky pogo, covered in sweat and just enough snot to satisfy the punks and the glam kids.

Bringing this EP to a swift end is ‘Dale Arden’ which is a thumping way to go out – swinging and bopping and leaving the listener wanting more, more, more. A massively impressive debut offering of six of the best. Continental Lovers can go straight to the top of the class with this EP. It’s everything you could hope to hear. Now get to work on an album and we very much look forward to the record when it hits the shelves later this Summer. Continental Lovers your new favourite Glam Slamming trash Rock n Rollas #Fact! If you get the chance go see em live and when the pre-orders drop for the vinyl record we’ll let you know

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Author: Dom Daley