Punk rockers latest long player might have dropped a coupple of weeks before 2023 fizzled out but its worth catching up early 2024. Housed in these here twelve tracks of angry (no shit) political (really?) but throughly enjoyable punk rock. The record gets off to a flyer and you don’t need to have a lyric sheet to get the blunt trouma force of ‘The Gammon Riots’. Now I know there are people out there who say you shouldn’t mix politics with Sport or politics with music or politics with friendships but politics is everything everywhere it impacts us all and some people are isolated and insular and closed off selfish people who don’t give two fucks about the wider society and think that it should be all about me myself and I but it didn’t take three minutes to hear that Angry Itch and myself are on the same page politically and by the sound of it we both like some hard hitting punk rock thats to the point and blunt as being smashed in the face by a coppers old wooden batton. Giving it to the tories on ‘Gammon Riots’ is a nice touch and as unapologetic as it is I’m sure the real snowflakes on the right will find it tough to swallow that some oiks from the wrong side of town could record such a thing. Fuck em they don’t like it up em but I like this opener its smashed it and got my attention from the off.
The topics covered are similar throughout and working class street punk is the name of the game with a bit of a more subtle folk edge thrown into the mix to break it up. ‘Beaten To Death’ has a wicked bass line that has got its Doc martin on your jugular whilst the guitar bites like a dog.
Theres a bit of Rancid in here as well and whats not to like about that? Straight down the line punk is their MO and why not it works and the album is most palatable as one song body slams into the next. I’m ok with the tempo being similar as the record unfolds thats who they are theres no point mashing up styles for the sake of it and they’d lose any authenticity if they tried hard to vary it up.
You get some big hard riffs like ‘Echo Chamber’ thats go ta bit of an old school glam stomp in there for good measure (when I say Glam I mean Slade of course). ‘Easily Offended’ is not a million miles from Dirtbox Disco melody wise but it also reminds me of some Bad Religion style US punk. ‘Its Not Right’ is like your conceince tapping you on the shoulder reminding you of some realities happing outside your front door and the garden isn’t all rosey. ‘Too Drunk To Die’ wipes the Steve Jones sweat off its brow on the opening lick before kicking back like a Roger Miret And The Disasters number which is a good place to be if you ask me.
Its not all darkness kids these punks aren’t all Anger and volume they ease up on the final track ‘Happy’ with its open chords before the inevitable snare roll and off like a rocket into oblivion and we’re done. An album I knew I was going to enjoy for simply being what it is unpretentious, in your face polical punk rock and all power to them they do it so well. Angry Itch deliver the goods and kick it like it is. Good on em and keep on keeping on. Punk as fuck!
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Author: Dom Daley
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