GagBags are a London/New York project made from the twisted minds of members of the Gaggers and Trash Bags. This debut 12” delivers 6 slabs of ‘77 era punk from the bowels of New York City and London Town that is dripping with snot & bile.
I can’t imagine there would have been many takes of these songs in the studio it would have been a case of – is this mic on? 1-2-3-4 Go! The vocals are in the Stiv meets early GG bag whilst the razor-sharp fretwork of the guitars is suitably abrasive and distorted. There’s no time to fuck about nor warm up its wham bang thank you, mam. They’re coming out of the speakers swinging and with a middle finger in the air for anyone expecting some niceties or soft edges this shit is jagged and dangerous just as punk rock was meant to be.
It’s the Travis Bickle Taxi ride through 1970s LES and the groove and bite of Victorian London with the dirt and grit. From the off ‘Nowhere New York’ captures the excitement of The Gaggers when they kicked off with the guitar riff prowling round the speakers looking for trouble The handclaps add a little Glitter and Glam around the wall of guitars and howling lick. Cool stuff. More of the same as ‘She’s Got’ has a dash of Toilet Boys to proceedings and I like that.
With only six songs on offer there isn’t time for any filler and ‘Creeping Around’ does just that. Like being hit repeatedly over the head with a bat it’s got attitude galore. ‘Downtown Marauder’ has a hint of The Doll’s swagger as it hunkers down in your brain. the guitar lick /solo whatever you want to call it is simple and a lot of fun as you curl your lip like William Broad used to from the subway train and Bass thump its a banger. The penultimate stop on this little jaunt is ‘Judging Eyes’ and it would fit right in with the likes of Ravagers who are cut from the same cloth.
One last hurrah sees the rapid snotty ‘Rules Of Disorder’ that’s dripping with old school back street punk rock and that’s a joy to hear in 2024 there aren’t near enough rock n rollin’ punks making music like this. All power to the Gagbags and fingers crossed for more of this in the near future, Please. Buy It!
Low attention span punk from London, featuring members of Lizard Brain, The Cavemen, The Speedways, Dead Meat, Trash Culture, & Virvon Varvon. I love that it’s called Low attention span becuase if it was any lower it would be one track of white noise spun out over twenty minutes at least these reprobates can keep it together long enough to press record and bash out these pretty fuckin awesome tunes.
Ten tracks of noisy rapid lo-Fi punk rock where the levels aren’t important but the music is. Smash it out and keep it fresh and honest and you won’t go far wrong. We’re not performing rocket science here it’s punk rock garage style and it’s fuckin excellent. from the opening thrash of ‘End It Tonight’ think early Damned and their fast as fuck attitude to rock n roll but it’s all about the tune and it has to be good no it has to be great and boy is this shit great!
‘Look Into My Eyes’ is rapid, and the unmistakable vocals of Caveman Paul Froggatt is on fire here as he gives his State of the World address. Theres a howling good time to be had on ‘Drug Fucked’ but if you thought that was good wait for eighty seconds of ‘Break My Face’ and its self abusing riff that leads to the nails down a chalkboard solo – I love this shit. ‘Losing My Grip’ is the sound of a 70s street fight with bats and chains this would have caused the Dead Boys not to bother getting out of the rehersal room its that good.
The energy of this album is relentless and the tunes just keep fizzing by mostly anywhere between one minute and two minutes but ‘Hateful Hellhole’ does clock in at a prog like three and a half minutes mainly for its bass throbbing intro but it smoulders through the first verse to the chorus like a warped buzz saw.
For a bunch of low attention spanning punks the don’t half make some excellent tunes if only they could be motivated to take this shitshow out on the road and venture to the toilet venues of shit island it would be a hoot to watch the undead body slamming into eachother on beer and bllod soaked dancefloors. Signing off with the bastard child of Motorhead meed Stivs DeadBoys ‘I’m worthless’ is the jewel on the crown of punk rock and Dross is the punk rock banger of the year make no mistake about that you fuckers, just buy it!
It’s been a while since I had the pleasure of reviewing an album on the wonderful No Front Teeth Records label and when I got notice that London noise merchants Desperate Fun were putting out an album on the label I just had to hand over my money.
This three-piece of Noisesmiths kick up a right nasty noisy racket in the same DIY mode as Cavemen with a dash of Chisel thrown in for good measure. Formed in 2017 these peeps have been raised on a steady diet of Spar lager, cheap spirits even cheaper amphetamines and a whole infusion of original 77 punk from the Brian James school of great tone and a handful of sharp riffs and a longing for Radio Birdman, MC5, The Saints and Dead Boys plus a heap of other cool sound and style instigators.
‘Gangster Woman’ kicks off the shakedown sounding like buzzsaw UK Subs its in your face, aggressive, loose (In a Stooges Kinda way) all the ingredients I was looking for. I can’t imagine there were too many takes before this was committed to tape (just as it should be) Snotty as fuck!
There are a total of seven songs on the album with a live track (‘About Your Period’) and a pair of demos to sign this bad boy off with. ‘Goodbye’ is two minutes of letting it all out Brian James style with gang vocals that are rough as fuck as it slams into ‘Hollow’ Paolo Piras on vocals is barking out his words like a cross between Rotten and Persey when they were at their most pissed off. Theres no let up in the piss and poison pouring out of the tracks as the lethal ‘You’d Better Realize’ barks and snaps out of the speakers like a rabid dog.
Theres a swagger about ‘I Wish You Were Dead’ with its extended intro its a hoot and played loud is a real joy from the distorted licks to the drum thumping all holding up the howling vocals that are sneering out of your speakers it must have been a joy for the wonderfully talented Ben Perrier to produce. No frills no tricks no bullshit just unadulterated raw rock and fuckin roll at its finest.
Theres on for the cancel culture crew ‘Born To Wank’ and ‘Speedfreak’ isn’t what I was expecting as Desperate Fun most definately fuck with the listener on the intro before kicking right off. To be fair the live track doesn’t sound much different to the studio tracks (ok so I’m streatching it a tiny bit) but it makes me jealous that I’ve not had the chance to see them live yet and have beer and sweat thrown at me from all quarters.
All thats left to say is what a rush, and if you’re still reading then you know you should alrady be opening their bandcamp page and picking up a copy. It’ll annoy your neighbours and give you a whole heap of punk points -Buy It!
From Washington, via London, The Dilrods play dirty Punk Rock and Roll and they do it very well just in case you wondered. ‘Spare The Rod’ leans on the sounds of bands like The Heartbreakers or the Joneses and a whole lot more in between damn it reminds me of Sorry & The Sinatras in places. Its loud guitars played with attitude and passion (which always helps). When making a record of this nature you need the magic X factor to really make your record sparkle and these three punks have just about nailed it here. It’s leaning heavily on the rock and Roll of the Joneses and Heartbreakers for sure but considering it’s only three Rods they sure as hell make a racket. ‘Off The Squad’ is a cool number that doesn’t just Rock as everyone knows to really stand out you have to roll as well and so many bands do a great job Rockin’ but miss the Roll but not The Dilrods.
Nine tracks in less than twenty minutes are as cool as a polar bear sitting on an ice cube. I do hope that’s a picture of them from the archive on the artwork and the back art looks like a right hoot of a morning after.
There’s no reinventing the wheel here but you get an earful of ragged punk rock n roll and a beaming smile whilst you’re at it. Right from the kick-off the fuzzed vocals of ‘Love Sick’ and its solid rhythm is battering your temple and breaking you down for what’s to come. The swagger of ‘Angry Little Man’ is one that reminded me of Scott Sorry’s combo. It’s swinging like a good un and is a fantastic burst of energy for ‘Validate Me’ that comes out of the speakers swinging like its throwing out time and the pub. I’m also getting reminders of Uncle Sam when they did their ‘Heaven Or Hollywood’ album. the production is similar in as much as it sounds organic and just tries (and Succeeds) to capture the energy of the performance.
I couldn’t pick a favourite because they’re jumping around at the moment and I’m loving the lot. It’s a really complete album that just kills it from opener to the final chord – attitude, delivery, sound and most importantly they’ve got the songs. they’ve got a pocket full of absolute bangers and they can be yours for a few wisely spent quids. Now do the right thing, check out The Dilrods and invest in a proper album and join the club!
Welcome one and all as we crack open the March batch of 7″ singles and as you’ll see we have a variety of bands and some superb singles for your delectation. We welcome some old favourites and of course a format we always welcome the good old split with this months split coming from a pair of bands we love Bitch Queens and The Drippers. We also welcome plenty of debutants to our exclusive club and hope you find something you can enjoy and support… hit it…
Johnny Thunders – ‘Chinese Rocks’ (Golden Robot Records/Die Laughing Records) All Johnny ever wanted to do was make the kids dance and he sure as hell did that. Now a lot of his live shows were during the classic age of the bootleg and this bad boy is no exception the sound quality is not the best as you can imagine but it does capture the energy of his shows. Taken from the upcoming live album; ‘Cosa Nostra: Live At The Mudd Club 1983 Gothenburg’. which will be available as limited edition vinyl and on all streaming platforms. We can argue over the merits of another release of a bootleg but hell, I miss this guy like no other performer I ever bought a record of, so, as one of those sad completist types I’ll be clicking the link. They just don’t make em like Johnny anymore untouchable! Pre-Order/SaveHERE
Bitch Queens / The Drippers – Split (Lux Noise Records) Kicking off this month’s Singles Club is a right pair of bangers. Our favourite Basel boys are back with fellow European rockers the Drippers. ‘Ignorance is bliss’ they say but if you ignore this then you’re ignoring the opportunity to get involved with the latest release from 7″ from one of the best loud Rock and Roll bands who just love to knock out singles as often as possible.
This is another riot ride of adrenalin with a solid melody and some lovely wah! and duelling guitars Get on it here kids you won’t regret it! If that wasn’t enough to convince you then flip it over and get an earful of The Drippers who are the ‘Beach Kings’ and channelling their best Motorhead they hurtle off on a rapid drumbeat and more Wah! than you deserve. Its a corker of a tune to be fair and a worthy companion for the mighty Bitch Queens split repertoire.
Rich Ragany & The Digressions – ‘Marionette’ (Self Release) Like a rush of adrenaline the first song from the brand new Rich Ragany album is birthed into the ether and ‘Marionette’ is uplifting and boundless with heartfelt energy as the band head into the difficult second album but on this evidence, it’s not difficult at all. Subtle melodies clash with some fantastic duelling guitars throughout. The sound is big and makes you wanna get up and move as you search for the tennis racket and hairbrush when you’re alone in the house to join the Digressions for the solo and chorus. Get on it kids its a grower. Bandcamp
Marc Ribler – ‘Shattered’ (Wicked Cool Records) Like a lazy Sunday morning bit of Rock and Roll with a gentle chorus and melody, some nice slide guitar playing. ITs got that swirling organ laying down underneath the beat as the song jogs on like a shot of Tom Petty. The B side is even more laid back with eastern flavours from the New Jersey man as he kicks back. Bandcamp
Wheelz – ‘Twenty Twenty’ (No Front Teeth) “No Coast” punk rock outta the Midwest. Four new sloppy ’n’ snotty anthems in the vein of UK ’77 meets American Punk like a blend of The Briefs, Spent Idols, Toy Dolls and Partisans. Sure take a look at the picture, drink it in because they sound exactly like you want them to sound. Its a perfect snotty sound capsule from the late 70s’ with modern production. ‘Politicians’ is a mash-up of ‘The Last Time’ (Stiv would approve) and mid-period Rancid. Buy UK Here / Facebook US: Boulevardtrashpunk.com Hipsters can get it on Cassette: EU: Tapeordie.bigcartel.com
Dead Meat – (No Front Teeth) The second single from London’s snotty KBD punks Dead Meat. Another four killer cuts Featuring members of Kool and the Gangbangers, The Cavemen and the Speedways. The regular edition is spray paint on genuine leather… yes it smells like a new sofa, genuine dead meat… loads of different colours of leather chosen at random with each order (mine was a lovely pink). Anyway, don’t let the waffle distract you Dead Meat are four noisy fuckers who could wake the dead (Meat) with their raw punk rock. Buy Here from the excellent NFT label direct or the bands Bandcamp page Here. ‘Through The Heart’ starts off like the bastard son of Motorhead but descends into a sloppy tasty slab of punk rock. It’s like the partisans never happened but with added gob and glitter. Hold onto your knickers boys because ‘Hanging On The Weekend’ is a belter. Snotty rapid punk rock with the sloppiest solo ever before falling into a gluey mess with ‘Son Of Sam’ about the NYC killer from the 70s. ‘Don’t blink or you’ll miss em as this four-track EP is brought to a stunning halt with ‘Nuffin New (For Trash Like You)’ – Punk as fuck and you should be on top of this before they’re all gone!
Black River Delta – ‘Burning And Burning’ (Sofaburn Records) FacebookHailing from Sweden Black River Delta delivers a gritty bluesy rock and roll sound but avoid many of the cliches and pitfalls and deliver a pretty fresh take. ‘Burning And Burning’ is an impressive introduction if you don’t believe us check out the video.
Local Drags – ‘Think Straight’ (Self Release) Sure we’ve raved about previous offerings from Local Drags why wouldn’t we the guy writes great songs. This new track from Springfield’s favourite rocker does what he does best and that’s writing feel-good rocked up power pop and boy does he does it well. ‘Think Straight’ is an indication of what we can expect from the new album. as we look forward to the full-length LP ‘Keep Me Glued’ this will do. Bandcamp
The Stools – ‘Feelin Fine’ (Drunken Sailor) Crash bang wallop! we’re off lo-fi garage punk rock that would get a pit going in a morgue as ‘Can’t Feel Good’ is an attack on your senses and as rapid and fucked up as possible. What a fantastic way to introduce yourselves. Hang on ‘Half-Track Mind’ has the brown noise inducing bass rumble before soaring into the stratosphere. You’ll be fist-pumping and chanting along before you know it “Half Track Mind” indeed.
If you’re waiting for the love ballad then you’re listening to the wrong record but if you want raw in your face blues-infused punk rock then welcome. ‘Rockpile’ is a slower more groove-based song with some cool maracas for mixing it up I’m sure. Taking this sucker home ‘Eyeball Crush’ is like a punk rock fuck up garage blues hand jive – about as subtle as a flying mallet but all together thoroughly enjoyable. pick it up here
Continental Lovers – ‘Doesn’t Matter At All’ (Self Release) Another new song from the mind of former Breakdowns main man sees the catchy punch of ‘Doesn’t Matter At All’ as Joe unleashes a subtle melody that burrows into your ear and works its way into your head and as all good pop songs do start scratching its name into your memory. Joe mixes up his love of bands like Cheap Trick and T Rex and uses the influences to great effect and ‘DMAA’ even after a few plays sounds like a song you’ve heard a thousand times but still remains fresh as the first time you heard it. Backed by a nice acoustic run through ‘Sister Saint Joan’ is a nice one-two from Continental Lovers. Hopefully, when this pandemic pisses off we can get a full album recorded in a studio with a full band and we can all hold in our hands another great slab of Rock and Roll – power pop. Bandcamp
Johnny Casino – ‘Twenty Twenty’ (Golden Robot Records) What a barnstormer from Casino. Letting out all his lockdown frustrations in a three-minute record which kicks serious backside. Then flip it over and you have a more dreamy acoustic cover of the Bored track ‘People Say’. Best of both worlds and a worthwhile investment. With an impressive history in Australian Rock and Roll Casino doesn’t do bad records and this is a fierce shot in the arm that I’m sure we can all get down with. Instagram / Bandcamp / Facebook
Harker – ‘The Beast Must Die’ (Wiretap Records) Get a load of this Brighton based band taken from their soon to be released album that drops at the end of April. With its fuzzed up guitar its a fine introduction to the band and an indication of what we can expect from the album. check out the video below.
The Mercury Riots – ‘Save Me A Drink’ ( ) Hailing from the USA ‘Save Me A Drink’ is the first single from the band and is a combination of loud, fast, jet-fuel powered rock n roll its classic rock kids but with a modern twist. A classic power trio but keen followers of Bullets and Octane and The Brave Ones will recognise the band. With a swaggering riff and big groove, its got it going on and will have the classic rock writers salivating at a new band on the scene to breath new life into it.
The Blips – ‘Throw Me Around’ ( Cornelius Chapel Records) what an earworm this was. From the first play, it started to burrow in my ear and I began to crave it more and more. Birmingham, Alabama’s The Blips are set to release their debut long-player and this is just a sample of what they have to offer and on this evidence alone it’s got the potential to be a corker if this bright and breezy number is anything to go by. Pick it up Here or visit their Bandcamp page Here
The Lurkers – The Boys in the Corner (Damaged Goods Records) The original Lurkers none the less turn up with a pair of bangers that steal the crown of the singles club with a classic slice of pub rock punk rock Lurkers style. This, the second single from last years impressive album ‘Sex Crazy’ (still makes me giggle when I look at the cover) anyway one exclusive track ‘We Close The Door’ is a wonderful slice of Lurkers noise that’ll have you singing along before you’ve finished the first playthrough. with a wonderful guitar break that perfectly compliments a really vibrant song. Pick one up whilst they’re still available from Damaged Goods Here
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