Tyla’s Dogs D’amour ‘Tree Bridge Cross’ (King Outlaw/ Cargo)

Tyla’s Dogs D’amour ‘Tree Bridge Cross’ (King Outlaw/ Cargo)

Fee Fi Fo… Woah… Dogs D’amour have existed in various line-ups since the early 1980’s, but this current group featuring Gaz Pennick (guitar), Matty James Cassidy (bass), and Simon Hanson (drums) has been together for at least the last 7 years, which I believe is the longest active continuous streak of a line-up over all these years. This has allowed these Dogs to really form their own identity and explore some new musical territories on the new full-length ‘Tree Bridge Cross.’ On ‘In Vino Veritas,’ the band showed that they could channel the bluesy rock n roll brilliance of the late 80’s and early 90’s on songs like ‘Bottle of Red’ and ‘I Don’t Love Anyone.’ They also channeled a darker edge on a brilliant song like ‘Black Confetti’ and a classy embellishments on the gorgeous title track. The band followed up with another release of brand new material in the terrific ‘Jack O’Byte Bluesey Vol. 1’ where they pursued a darker bluesy direction. Now, after a lengthy delay due to issues getting vinyl pressed, Dogs D’amour have returned with a great album that channels from the spirit of the past at times but firmly plants itself in some new musical directions.

Many of our favorite songs and albums over the years have the gift of nostalgia and memories associated to those times that provide stories of our histories and who we are. I believe it is only natural that those songs take on deeper meaning over time as our youth moves further away than we would like. Why do I mention this? This album feels like bringing those memories together as people meeting in the darkness of a dive bar where new memories are formed to continue the journey forward. Starting off with the title track, the electric guitar gives way to a spoken verse by Tyla and introduces a song that I cannot really compare to any in the band’s background. The driving beat by Simon Hanson allowing everything to work around it, whether it is the tasty piano touches, the electric guitar, and the vocal hooks. If anyone remembers the Tyla song ‘Declaration,’ this has a similar vocal delivery but with a full band backing. The ending solo piano note is the perfect closing touch. ‘Journey to the Centre of the Soul’ has been one of the pre-release singles and showcases the depth of this release. I hesitate to use the words mature or grown up as some may take that in a negative sense. Self-reflective might be a good description lyrically. The warmness in the music is welcoming and feels like the greeting of an old friend. The rhythm can create a feeling like falling if you close your eyes and focus on it.

The band transition to the more acoustic based rock of ‘Steal Your Love Away’ with some extra vocals by Quireboys singer Spike (like it or not Griff). I can imagine a full room singing along to this one with a glass in one hand and the other one in the air helping bellow out the chorus in a show of solidarity with everyone in the room. ‘God Only Knows’ takes things in a heavier direction with awesome vocals preaching over some electrifying guitar. The closing mantra of ‘god bless ya’ winding things down and serving as the only initial vocal hook across the song. Repeated listens have since revealed me singing along across the entire song, but it is very subtle in its contagiousness. ‘Angel Lane’ closes out side one with a noisy semi-ballad featuring a big chorus that would not have been out of place on ‘More Unchartered Heights of Disgrace.’

Kicking off side two, rocker ‘Buried Alive’ sounds better to me as a full song than the sample clip did when the album was originally announced. While it is my least favorite on the album, it has grown on me with each listen. This is another one where the piano in the mix adds a great element to the song. For those that spring for the 2 CD version, there are acoustic versions of nine of the songs, and I prefer the acoustic bluesy version of this one. Let’s see if this becomes a grower over time.   ‘Raining Fire’ meanwhile has been a favorite since an extended version of the song was offered a couple years ago. Tyla opens with a spoken word piece with the song featuring the Dogs at their heaviest with a killer rhythm and chorus. I cannot listen to this song at a loud enough volume. Pennick and Tyla supply great guitar work throughout the song while Hanson and Cassidy supply the thundering rhythm. ‘Powder Dry’ should be familiar to most as the featured single prior to the album’s release. This is another mostly full band acoustic treat with some great piano work throughout the song. Strong backing vocals adding depths to the song and the mix. The electric guitar solo cuts brilliantly through the mix. Cassidy’s bass work gets to stand out and shine in the mix on ‘Moth to the Flame.’ This is another one that finds the Dogs learning new tricks and, to borrow an old phrase from Tyla’s past, perhaps best described as ‘a soft song for hard people.’ Closing the album is the freaking beautiful ‘Ghosts.’ Musically and lyrically, this is a classic on arrival as it is just Tyla on acoustic and vocals with Scotty on piano. I do not believe anyone else is playing on this one. My favorite Dogs album closer has always been ’She Put It in Here Arm,’ but this one has already transcended it. Tyla’s vocals are perhaps the best they have ever been on this one.

Another brilliant album for these Dogs who continue to showcase new wrinkles and refuse to live in the past. Lyrically, I reckon I speak for many of us who have been fans since the beginning who can relate to the more self-reflective thoughts here than thinking that we can still fall in love if we fell ‘down the stairs into the arms of a girl who really cared.’ Hopefully, these songs find their way in front of new listeners who can appreciate great rock n roll played from the heart.

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Author: Gerald Stansbury        

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MANIC STREET PREACHERS SHARE PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD SONG ‘STUDIES IN PARALYSIS’

MANIC STREET PREACHERS SHARE PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD SONG ‘STUDIES IN PARALYSIS’

‘KNOW YOUR ENEMY’ REMIXED, RECONSTRUCTED AND RE-ISSUED AS TWO SEPARATE ALBUMS AS ORIGINALLY INTENDED. RELEASED 9TH SEPEMBER VIA SONY

Today, Manic Street Preachers have made available a brand new track recorded at the time of their sixth studio album ‘Know Your Enemy‘. ‘Studies in Paralysis‘ was recorded at Miloco Studios in London but left off the original 2001 release. It has remained unearthed until now and is available on the entirely remixed and reconstructed re-issue of the record available on 9th September on Sony Records. The song, which Nicky Wire incorrectly remembered as being released as a b-side to one of the album’s four singles, is a red raw rock’n’roll song with a none-more-classic Manics title celebrating the blankness and inertia that comes with the loss of belief.  Another lost track ‘Rosebud‘ came out last month  and was accompanied with a Kieran Evans film

“It started with an email from Wire (it always does!).  Would I be up for working on visualising two unheard tracks from the ‘Know Your Enemy’ sessions that were to feature in the beautifully expanded and reworked re-issue of the album?  Of course I would!  Both ‘Rosebud’ and ‘Studies In Paralysis’ landed an hour later and were stunning and took my breath away. Fuck me…They left these off the original album…what were they thinking???!!!
 
An hour later, another email landed from him – “I’ll send some DV footage of the Miloco sessions up to you”. But this footage was very different from previous recording sessions he’d filmed. There was a seriousness to everyone’s behaviour and recording performances. There was no frivolity or funny off camera ‘moments’. The atmosphere felt intense, you could feel the pressure they were under.
 
Cutting this footage to ‘Studies in Paralysis’ was a task. I went through many iterations and edits to get the right “feel” to reflect what is a truly glorious song… Thankfully…I think we definitely got there in the end“.
 
‘Know Your Enemy’ will be available as two separate albums as originally planned, ‘Solidarity’ and ‘Door To The River’ packaged as a 3 CD bookset, double CD and double album on 9th September 2022.

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‘Demolition 23.’ Self-Titled Album To Be Released on October 14 with 3 Bonus Demo Tracks

‘Demolition 23.’ Self-Titled Album To Be Released on October 14 with 3 Bonus Demo Tracks

“The Demolition 23. album is one of my favorite albums of my career and definitely one of the best.”- Michael Monroe

“Me and Michael were talking about how much we missed the original Punk music of the Ramones and Dead Boys and Sex Pistols and Clash and decided to do an album in that spirit.”- Stevie Van Zandt

Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records has announced plans to reissue the sole album from Demolition 23., digitally for the first time ever, and on CD + ‘Blue Smoke’ vinyl, on October 14. The band, which formed in NYC in 1993, consisted of former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe, ex-Star Star guitarist Jay Hening, Monroe’s Hanoi Rocks bandmate Sami Yaffa on bass, and Jimmy Clark on drums.’Demolition 23.’ (which had a limited release in 1994, but has since been out of print for years) was produced by Van Zandt, and features collaborative songwriting efforts between Monroe, Van Zandt, and Jude Wilder, and one track (“Deadtime Stories”) co-written by Monroe/Stiv Bators. The album, a return to the members’ punk roots, also includes covers by Monroe’s influences and friends, including Stiv Bators (“Ain’t Nothin’ To Do”) and Johnny Thunders (“I Wanna Be Loved”). Many of the songs from the record have become staples in Monroe’s live sets, which recently have included festivals and a stint opening for Alice Cooper.The digital and CD release of ‘Demolition 23.’ includes all of the original songs, along with 3 bonus demos. See track listing below. The physical versions of the album include a booklet with photos and liner notes from Monroe, detailing each song — with additional notes written by all of the living band members. The vinyl also includes a download card for the bonus tracks. The band’s logo was designed by Yaffa, who continues to play with Monroe to this day.In advance of the self-titled album’s re-release, a track titled “Hammersmith Palais” has been released to streaming sites, along with a demo version of the song.
Pre-save the album here

Michael Monroe on the single “Hammersmith Palais”:

“Hammersmith Palais was this great club in London where we saw a lot of brilliant, legendary shows by some of the coolest bands ever. I played there once guesting on sax and harp with the Lords of the New Church. Unfortunately in later years, the place was closed down and replaced by a boring office building. The song also refers to some great, fun times in the past that will never return.”

Michael Monroe on the re-issue of ‘Demolition 23.’:

“The Demolition 23. album is one of my favorite albums of my career and definitely one of the best. I had the pleasure and privilege of having my great friend Little Steven as the producer. This was originally going to be a Michael Monroe solo album, but we had put together such a strong group with Sami Yaffa on bass, Jimmy Clark on drums and Jay Hening (RIP) on guitar, that I decided the band should have a name. Sami Yaffa suggested “Demolition 23” from the William Burroughs book “Exterminator” and it immediately hit a nerve.

Little Steven and I had been writing the songs with very much an authentic kind of Punky Rock& Roll attitude and style. We also wanted to pay homage to the late legendary unsung heroes and my friends Stiv Bators and Johnny Thunders by covering one song each– The Dead Boys’“Ain’t Nothin’ To Do” and Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers’ “I Wanna Be Loved.”

The album was recorded at the end of 1993 at the Power Station Studios in New York City by the great engineer Ben Fowler. This was one of the easiest and most fun times I’ve ever had recording an album. The comfort of having the production in the good hands of Little Steven allowed me to relax and enjoy doing my thing. Steven brought out the best in everybody and we didn’t waste any time. We laid down the basic tracks, drums, bass and guitars for the 10songs in 3 days and I did my lead vocals in 2 days. It was like 2 vocal takes per song, then Steven would say “Ok that’s good! Next!” After the 5 days of recording, we mixed one song per day, so the whole album took about 2 weeks to make. And it still sounds great today. This record was never officially released in the States, but now Little Steven is FINALLY releasing it on his Wicked Cool label for everyone’s enjoyment.

As bonus tracks, we’re including 3 demos that we recorded at New York’s Baby Moster Studio prior to recording the album. I remember when we finished our session there, the Ramones came in and started setting up for the next session to record their cover of “I Love You” for the Johnny Thunders tribute album “I Only Wrote This Song For You.” I’ll never forget when Johnny Ramone started hitting some chords on his Moarite guitar–it was so loud you could hear it in every room of the studio. Anyway, these 3 demos already indicate what a great chemistry Demolition 23 had as a band. Hope you dig this album as much as we all do!

Stevie Van Zandt on the Demolition 23. reissue:

“The Demolition 23. album is one of my favorite records. Me and Michael were talking about how much we missed the original Punk music of the Ramones and Dead Boys and Sex Pistols and Clash and decided to do an album in that spirit. It was written in two weeks and Produced in two weeks. Love it.”

James and the Cold Gun ‘False Start’ (Loosegroove Records)

James and the Cold Gun ‘False Start’ (Loosegroove Records)

Have you ever heard a band for the first time and felt like a part of your soul just became more complete than it had been? When I first heard James and the Cold Gun, that is the easiest way to describe the feeling. Hailing from Wales and with a string of singles prior to this debut EP, they have laid down an incredible EP that somehow becomes even better with each listen as more and more elements reveal themselves. EP of the year? The answer is an emphatic “yes” with me experiencing the same euphoria I felt when Quinn the Brain released their debut EP a couple of years ago.

What makes this band so special? Let’s start at the beginning of this release with ‘Seven’ which builds slowly before unleashing a killer rhythmic hook. They pack an urgency in the groove that gives way to an insidious chorus that sticks in the head like gum on your new shoes. Hints of bands like the Foo Fighters, 3 Colours Red, Ash, and others are present but really just serve as a reference point as James and the Cold Gun have captured their own identity. There is an awesome breakdown in the song which takes the musical dynamics to another level. They show no let up with a RFTC influence introducing ‘Around the Bend.’ The guitar work here is awesome with the mix really giving extra flashes to the guitar notes. This feels like having a freight train barreling down on you in the tunnel and hopping on for the ride at the last second.

‘Plug Me In’ might be my favorite among favorites here. The intro reminds me a bit of a harder-edged GvsB as the volume gradually increases over the first couple of verses before exploding to give way to the chorus. The vocals here have a vitality to them that showcases so much emotion and passion that it is hard to describe. If you could unleash some primal screams with melody while feeling your throat get pulled apart, that might get you close to the right spot. Next up is ‘It’s Mutual’ which brings some Queens of the Stone Age to mind but again James and the Cold Gun have really captured a magic and unique formula all their own. Here they use a sneaky great chorus that will have you singing along while trying to figure out what the actual title of the song is as it is seamlessly etched into the chorus lines. Wrapping up this bundle of sonic perfection is ‘The Long Way Home’ where a seesaw-type riff leads into a hit single in waiting. Some hand claps are added into the mix here which are perfectly placed in the mix as the guitars still lead the way. The bridge breaks the song down and creates a feeling of intense pressure building before it throttles all that tried to stand in its way. It brings to mind Refused around the time of ‘The Shape of Punk to Come.’

At this point, I hope you have ordered this album and are currently already listening to it as there is not much else I can say. This is an incredible release that has become a part of my soul. It’s a cathartic release that can be played again and again. The bigger question might be how the band follow up this release but, much the way the Wildhearts followed up their initial EP releases with an amazing full-length debut many years ago, I think James and the Cold Gun will do the same.      

‘False Start’ is available now.

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Author: Gerald Stansbury

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More Kicks offer up ‘Terminal Love’

More Kicks offer up ‘Terminal Love’

The second single, ‘Terminal Love’, taken from the album Punch Drunk’. Sees More Kicks get back in the groove.

Kicking out the jams since 2017, More Kicks released their self-titled debut album in 2019 which we reviewed and hailed as a masterclass in power pop. Since the pandemic singer /guitarist James Sullivan managed to release a fantastic experimental solo album, ‘Light Years’ but this is his bread and butter and a most welcome return for the trio.

Following up the single ‘Animal’. ‘Terminal Love’ sees the band pack a bigger punch on this new single. After a quick jaunt across the USA More Kicks set a release date for September for the album from Dirtnap Records/Stardumb Records. pre order Here

You can find More Kicks on Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp and their website.

Dystopian Future Movies- ‘War of the Ether’ (Septaphonic Records)

Dystopian Future Movies- ‘War of the Ether’ (Septaphonic Records)

I first came across DFM way back, having been bounced a you need to have a listen to these guys from Pity my Brain main man Jamie Richards, and was instantly blown away by the depth atmospherics and intensity of the music, that initial LP Time was followed on in 2020 by the superb Inviolate, stretching the intensity out, building on the first LP showing a band choosing a direction, both powerful, observational and more to the point drawing the listener in to a dark dystopian world created by none other that Caroline Cawley and Brother Bill Fisher from the Church of the Cosmic Skull, but music that shines as the complete antithesis of that body of work.

But on to the current release (War of the Ether), preceded by the self-titular single War of the Ether, again this is seriously powerful stuff. As the press release illustrates, “Lyrically, the album dives deep into a recent scandal surrounding 796 skeletons found on the grounds of the former Catholic-run Tuam Mother & Baby Home in Caroline’s native country of Ireland. To hide the shame of pregnancy out of wedlock, women were sent to homes like this all over the country. Forcibly separated from their mothers, many of the children died in infancy due to neglect, and some were trafficked for adoption to the US”.

First track up She came from up the Dromban Hill draws you in before the poetic spoken vocals lead you through the story unfolding. At times I get drawn back to some of the almost autobiographical work of Joolz, real time observational, an outsider recanting the story, looking in and backwards, the first thoughts I’m starting to build as we move into second track up Critical mass is how sharp the whole sound is, focussed, driven and intense. This feeling of intensity is an off set to the almost at time ethereal vocals, but the vocals form only part of the whole, all the parts twist and engage wrap around each other, cocooning you in an aural soundscape.

Next tracks up The Veneer and Walls of Filth and Toil, again lead you step by step engaging, driving and moving you inwards spiralling into the soundscape of the story unfolding. Then the Title track War of the Ether, hits in hard, the intensity ratcheted up another notch, the guitar work enhancing and pushing the vocals ever higher. License of their Lies maintains the intensity. By the time you reach No Matter, your held by the story unfolding, gripped by the soundscape and hit by an almost Primal Scream of emotion. Finishing the LP off A decent class of girl a fitting tribute and uplift to the sounds and story that we’ve been told.

This an LP that again draws you in, the subject matter, coupled with the intensity of the music and some staggering good ethereal vocals really demands your attention, well worth checking out released in October, with a tour following, this is the type of music that really needs to be witnessed live.

You can buy the LP here, keepin’ it independent!!

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Author: Nev Brooks

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THE HARD-ONS RELEASE LTD ED 7″ SINGLE AND VIDEO FOR “NEEDLES AND PINS”

THE HARD-ONS RELEASE LTD ED 7″ SINGLE AND VIDEO FOR “NEEDLES AND PINS”

On the day they begin the WA leg of their I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken tour, The Hard-Ons have released a new single and video from the album.

The “Needles & Pins” 7″ single will be released on coloured vinyl as a strictly limited edition of 300 – 100 in hot pink, 100 in clear teal and 100 in black. It features the exclusive non-album B-side “Spider Tree” (an out-take from the album) and will be available from the band at the shows as well as on the Cheersquad Records & Tapes Bandcamp page and from select retailers.. 

Of the new single and video, Hard-Ons co-founder and bassplayer Ray Ahn has said “The Hard-Ons are in love with the music and beauty of pop. We wanted Mike Foxall, the director to capture the sentiment and tenderness of the melody – all the while showing some light-hearted humour… ” 

Guitarist and fellow co-founder Blackie adds, “People usually scoff (politely Emoji) when I insist we’re a pop band .. SEE!!”

The WA dates follow the band’s recent AIR Awards ‘Best Independent Rock Album Award’ nomination for I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken, and the group’s much-viewed surprise APRA Awards performance of “Know Your Product” in tribute to The Saints’ Chris Bailey.  

The Hard-Ons’ new album I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken is out now via Cheersquad Records & Tapes. (Distributed by Magnetic South)

https://cheersquadrecordstapes.bandcamp.com/album/im-sorry-sir-that-riff-s-been-taken

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Lee Love Affair – ‘Hold Me Down’

Lee Love Affair – ‘Hold Me Down’

Hip Pries four stringer noise bringer eases back with his debut EP. this is the first video to accompany the EP that we reviewed several weeks ago. The video features Lee relaxing in his downtime from day job duties and cutting up the dance floor at the Wigan Pier.

released on Lux Noise records. Available in the UK from https://leeloveaffair.bandcamp.com

Europe from Lux Noise https://lux-noise.bandcamp.com/

USA from Spaghetty Town https://spaghettytownrecords.bigcarte…

Dez Dare – ‘Ulysses Trash’ (CH!MP)

Dez Dare – ‘Ulysses Trash’ (CH!MP)

Back in 1974 when Leo Sayer famously sang “Well I’m a one-man band, nobody knows nor understands” he could very well have been referring to Australian-born but now Brighton-based psych space cadet Dez Dare, albeit he was almost four decades too early.

Not that time really bothers Dez, that’s more of an abstract constraint in his world, where music, art and mind expansion blend into one, and ‘Ulysses Trash’ (his second full album to date) is a melting pot of thirteen tracks that take you on a musical roller coaster ride quite unlike any other.  

Totally DIY, with Dare playing/recording everything on the album, the production is shot through with the associated garage rock feel you get with such recordings, and there’s an underlying feeling of early Sub Pop within the acid-soaked grooves of ‘They Scream, My Head Is So Full I Can’t Dream’ and this is something that continues through the likes of the wonderfully titled ‘Bloody Sea, Holy Fuck’ and perhaps my fave track on the record ‘1.9.8.5’ which features a spiraling space rock riff over which Dare riffs his spoken word lyric before wrapping it all up in a Stooges-like chorus to die for.

I actually think if some of this stuff had been released a couple of years earlier you may even have found a track cropping up on ‘A Better Dystopia’ Monster Magnet’s covers album that paid tribute to obscure (yet great) garage rock music through the ages.

In fact, if you discovered fantastic bands like Table Scraps from that record then I highly recommend you check out ‘Ulysses Trash’ when its released on August 19th on CD and download via the Bandcamp link below.

‘Ulysses Trash’ is the soundtrack to the fourth dimension baby! Can you dig it???

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The Chats – ‘Get Fucked’ (Bargain Bin Records)

The Chats – ‘Get Fucked’ (Bargain Bin Records)

Coming across like a down-under Devitto era Buzzcocks meets AC/DC old Skool the Chats do anything other than getting Fucked on this their second offering of Aussie punk rock.

‘GET FUCKED’ opens with ‘6L GTR’, a takedown of a speed-crazed status-symbol driver – a critique piqued when Eamon spotted the titular license plate in an airport carpark. It’s an album that shows the band’s maturity from the off on this here 13 high-velocity punk tracks. To be fair they’ve hardly matured and started writing prog whilst playing a flute one-legged on a toadstool. This bad boy rips from start to finish, as they’d say down under. Lyrically it covers topics from panic attacks, junkies, prison breaks, the price of smokes, surf mafia, and being drunk in every pub in Brisbane amongst other heady big ticket topics.

There’s a rumor that Opener ‘6L GTR’ saw Eamon Sandwith nick a bit of Dave Lee Roth which was taken out of the tune after management got a knockback from Diamond Dave but hey ho them is the breaks they should have just done it and send double D the V sign with a sue us if you want letter. The non-PC album title came from a brainstorming session (imagine that one folks?) where Matt Boggis said imagine how funny it would be if kids go to the record store and ask for Get Fucked from the salesperson. Yeah pretty funny slinging it on yer Christmas list from your nan to pick up. But hey this isn’t Roxy Music or Genesis or some high-brow prog This is working-class Aussie punk rock yer Fuckers!

Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, thirteen songs. The first single and album opener down The Chats have got sharper and tighter that’s for sure and all that touring has paid off for sure. Most of the album is your usual Australian HC one and a half minutes of rage then boom! but there are a couple of tracks that tickle the four-minute mark which in itself is almost Maiden-esque pro in length rather than Ron Jeremy Length in the puns and goofiness stakes. so good on ’em for that.

‘Struck By Lightening’ is a warning to take cover in storms maybe go inside and put this on the earbuds – thundering along with a rapid verse with sloppy doo wap backing vocals and a cautionary tale. the solo is majestic to be fair as the song hammers along. ‘Boggo Breakout’ is punk as fuck from the vacant riff to the snotty vocals it’s another banger and benefits from volume and multiple plays. ‘Southport Superman’ is just a heads-down race to the finish line in true punk as fuck style. ‘Panic Attack’ is more restrained from the intro with a military slap on the snare and pluck on the bass before Josh joins in with his Shelly meets Diggle meets the Undertones wall of punk rock guitars lifts the song up.

The first of the long songs is the excellent ‘ The Price Of Smokes’ which is about the economic cost of living stuff where the band thrust the cost of living to the forefront. It’s a cool bass and drum intro where they lock in and take this baby to the bridge then drop her off gently. An excellent song that asks the important questions of the day. Sidestep from the heads down crank it up that had preceded it, (See I said The Chats had moved on and matured). Oh hang on ‘Dead On Site’ is a razor-sharp riff delivering exactly what The Chats fans are clamoring for. Punchy, full throttle, punk rock mixed with some fine Angus Young inspired old school solos – magical stuff!

‘Paid Late’ is a fine slice of Smash and Grab punk rock before the let’s go to the pub banger that is ‘I’ve Been Drunk In Every Pub In Brisbane’. If I’m honest this album has added elements of Rock and old-school hard rock, even when they speed up proceedings it’s a great crossover full of energy and street punk rock n roll. Their no longer on Smoko their running the gaff. There’s no acoustic ballad but there’s lots of loud guitars. I think one of my favourite tracks is ‘Emperor Of The Beach’ with its cock sure riff that tips the hat to the daddy of tone Steve Jones and is a thumper of a track. The band signs off this second album with the punky ‘Getting Better’ and so they are. God bless these noisy cunts from down under for they’ve taught this old dog a few tricks on this album and tightened up the loose ends of the debut and thrown in a few curve balls but above all delivered a fantastic record that I’m thoroughly enjoying

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Author: Dom Daley