{"id":16183,"date":"2021-08-10T05:00:13","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T05:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=16183"},"modified":"2021-08-08T20:21:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-08T20:21:55","slug":"desperate-measures-rinsed-easy-action-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=16183","title":{"rendered":"Desperate Measures – ‘Rinsed’ (Easy Action Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Originally formed in Christchurch, New Zealand all the way back in 1981 (and hence the NZ part of their name), this 2021 version of Desperate Measures is much more London-centric with singer Eugene Butcher the only band member remaining from those formative years. With an interchangeable UK lineup allowing the band to play live over the years since Eugene relocated to Blighty, he has now assembled the band\u2019s definitive line up, boasting ex-Glitterati and current Rich Ragany & The Digressions guitarist Gaff, ex-Done Lying Down and current Dealing With Damage drummer James Sherry along with ex-UK Subs bassist Ricky McGuire with which to write and record this six track mini-album.<\/p>\n

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The beefy chug of Gaff\u2019s guitar heralds the arrival of opener \u2018Scars & Memories\u2019 a song very much honed by the post-Pistols sonic attack of The Professionals (a band they will soon be touring the UK with) and I must admit this is incendiary stuff from the Measures where you can almost feel Butcher\u2019s breath on your face as his gravely Tyla-esque voice spits out the breakdown mid song.<\/p>\n

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Lead track, and one of the best \u201cFuck The System\u201d terrace anthems you\u2019ll hear anywhere this year, \u2018The Rich-Tual\u2019 is up next and this for me is the band\u2019s defining moment to date, Gaff\u2019s bandmate (and renowned producer) Andy Brook really capturing the Measures balls-out approach to songwriting, and trust me when I say you\u2019ll be screaming the \u201cWoah Oh\u201d outro hook to this one long after your first listen.<\/p>\n

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After that initial ferocious hook laden opening 1-2 \u2018Flowers At Your Door\u2019 slows things down ever so slightly and features some magnificent vocal harmonies plus synth string swells that really give the song a kind of Steve Jones fronting the Lords Of The New Church vibe. So, if that sounds like your kind of thing you really do need to pre-order a copy of this mini album now via the link at the end of this review.<\/p>\n

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Of the two versions of \u2018Lost Angels\u2019 that feature on \u2018Rinsed\u2019 the 1988 demo version sits very much sits in the same sleazy back alley as early Dogs D\u2019Amour or in fact the LOTNC whilst the 2021 \u2018live in the studio\u2019 reboot thrashes away like the band have been fuelled by 4 bottles of silver label Merrydown, relentlessly driven on by the tight as hell rhythm section of Sherry and McGuire, and whilst being the same song seems a world away from the original demo.<\/p>\n

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Finishing things off there\u2019s a \u2018live in the studio\u2019 run-through of \u2018Don\u2019t Gimme No Lip Child\u2019 (shortened here to \u2018No Lip\u2019) a 1964 R&B song initially covered as a B side by Dave Berry and then suitably ripped to shreds by the Sex Pistols and included on \u2018The Great Rock N Roll Swindle\u2019 album. Here the Measures cover that latter version of the song and in spite of it missing the explosive mid-section of the Pistols version (where Fatty Jones\u2019 guitar literally explodes) it’s still a boisterous homage to Rotten and Co.<\/p>\n

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\u2018Rinsed\u2019 is available on CD and 10\u201d vinyl from Easy Action Records and is recommended for anyone who likes their punk rock delivered like a boot to the privates. \u201cThis really is great stuff!\u201d (Said with a very squeaky voice after repeated listens.)<\/p>\n

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Author: Johnny Hayward<\/p>\n

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