Rancid - Collision Course

Yesterday's update was by the UK Subs whilst today I'm posting a new song by a band who feature an ex Uk Sub in their line up. You've probably guessed by now that the person I'm referring to is Lars Frederiksen and the band is Rancid. Formed in Berkeley, California, in 1991 by ex Operation Ivy members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman (as well as drummer Brett Reed), they were originally a 3 piece before Lars joined them in 1993. Since then, they've been one of punk's biggest names, when classic punk albums are discussed, their 1995 ...And Out Come The Wolves is often mentioned (though my favourite is probably their 2000 s/t disc). It's been 5 years since their last album (though since then there's probably been several hundred songs released by various solo and side projects) but from the new songs that have been teased out, their new record, Honor Is All We Know, is going to be well worth the wait. From it, this is Collision Course......

UK Subs - Barbie's dead.

Usually I try to post songs that people might not have heard before (which is why you get The Gee Strings instead of The Clash) but occasionally I'll slip in a band that sups at punk's top table. Today I'm highlighting a song by a band who've been around forever and who've released a virtual A-Z of albums. UK Subs were formed in 1977 and it wasn't long before they gained a stranglehold on the UK charts, scoring 7 consecutive top 30 hits between 1979-81. Fronted by the indefatigable Charlie Harper, they show no signs of slowing down, no doubt they'll be gigging in front of a rabid crowd somewhere right up until it's time to say bye bye planet. It's not easy to select just one song but I'll plump for one that came out in 1980 on the classic Brand New Age album, this is Barbie's Dead.....

Barbie wore black, black hat
Barbie wore gloves, warm gloves
Barbie was thin, white skin
Barbie's in bed, she's dead

Bellboy cries for Barbie
Mailman cries for Barbie
Gasman cries for Barbie
Said come on let's get drunk

Barbie had a gun, field gun
Barbie had a bird, blackbird
Barbie had a car, Jaguar
Barbie was rich, rich bitch

Boys they cry for Barbie
Girls they cry for Barbie
Daddy cries for Barbie
Then they all got drunk

Barbie's dead
Barbie's dead
Barbie's dead
Barbie's dead

When Barbie was alive, so alive
Barbie did sing, sweet things
Barbie had pink hair, spiked hair
Barbie loved rock, punk rock

Boys danced with Barbie
Girls played with Barbie
Daddy he loved Barbie
And the whole party got drunk

Barbie's dead
Barbie's dead
Barbie's dead
 

The Gee Strings - Arrest me baby

More top notch Euro punk rock today, this time by a band based in Koln/Aachen, Germany. Formed in 1994, The Gee Strings feature the distinctive vocals of Ingenius Pop, a frontwoman often compared to Joan Jett, as well as Bernadette on guitar, Mad Macst on bass and drummer Amazing Buanax. Between 1996 and 2006 they released 4 albums (The Gee Strings, Alternative Losers, Arrest Me and A Bunch Of Bugs). There was also the 16 Tracks Of Non-Stop PunkRock compilation in 2004 and they recorded new material earlier this year but as far as I'm aware it's not yet been released. Veterans of many a sweaty gig, they've shared a stage with the likes of The Buzzcocks, The Lurkers, The Stitches, Turbonegro and many more. A good example of their brand of scuzzy '77 influenced punk n roll, this is Arrest Me Baby......

Flying Over - Outsiders

From Bordeaux, France, and sporting names such as Jet Boy, Jet Girl, Gun Boy and T Boy, Flying Over have been purveyors of quality '77 inspired garage punk since 1996. As well as a handful of killer singles, they've also released 3 albums, a debut in 2004 called Rocking Frenchies, 2010's No One Here Gets Out Alive and last years We Are Outsiders. If you like your punk to be fun, spiky blasts of energetic rambunctiousness, lend them your ear. you'll love 'em. From their latest album, here's the title track, Outsiders.......

Top 10 Songs Chosen By No Ditching

  I've had a couple of people comment recently that they enjoy reading these top 10 lists as it introduces them to some great new music. As it also introduces me to great new music too, I've sent out messages to more of the bands that I like and even though most of them don't reply, or occasionally do reply but then forget to follow up with their list, it's always greatly appreciated when someone takes the trouble to promote their favourite records. Today I was happy to discover a message from Laura who's a member of Durham d.i.y. punkettes No Ditching. I've already posted a song by them back in the early days of this blog, and I enthused how brilliant their debut ep is. If you haven't yet heard it, go to their bandcamp as you'll love it :  http://riotsnotdiets.bandcamp.com/album/no-ditching-face-ache-ep
Laura says it was too difficult to think of an all time top 10 so each of the band picked a couple of songs each that they really like, as usual when the lists aren't numbered, I've numbered them myself in the order they were written.

1)  Wolfs - Cold Wet Lawns

2)  Baroness - A Horse Called Golgotha

3)  Elly Kingdon - Things We Tell Kids To Do That We Shouldn't

4)  RVIVR - Tiny Murders

5)  Delay - Don't Worry Now

6)  Beyonce - Flawless

7)  Girls - Lust For Life

8)  Willow Smith - I Am Me

9)  Best Coast - Bratty B

10 Robyn And Royksopp - Momentum

A few of the tracks aren't on youtube so if you want to listen to them (and you should) head over to bandcamp. Thanks again to No Ditching, more top 10's will appear soon (hopefully!). Today's song is Tiny Murders by Rvivr. The band are from Olympia, Washington and the song was on their 2010 Dirty Water ep.....

THE WORLD STARTED OVER/WHEN I SAW THAT YOU SAW ME THAT WAY/ALL THIS RIPPING AND PULLING/LIKE MY PIECES WOULD JUST BLOW AWAY/AND I’M FUCKING HUGE NOW/I’M TALLER EVERY DAY/YOU’RE INTIMIDATED!/WHY CAN’T I JUST STAY IN MY PLACE?/THERE’S ROOM FOR MORE STARS IN THE SKY/THE DARK STAR WILL STILL SHINE/I DON’T WANT TO FIGHT/(BUT I’LL FUCKING FIGHT!)/YOU WONT GET WHAT’S IN MY WITH THE EDGE OF A KNIFE!/WE’RE KILLING EACH OTHER (WITH) TINY MURDERS!!/THERE’S PLENTY OF LIGHT IN MY EYES/BUT THE BRIGHTEST STARS STILL DIE/MY WATER IS BREAKING/LIVE MY WHOLE LIFE WITH BLOOD STAINS/AND MY BONES ARE ACHING/ FOR ALL THAT WE WISH WE COULD CHANGE

Noi!se - Pawn in the Game

   I've had a really good track from the new album by Noi!se queued up for adding for a couple of weeks now but have been slightly sidetracked rattling through a few of the old classics I wanted to get posted. Today however I've just read a glowing review of The Scars We Hide on Dying Scene ( http://dyingscene.com/news/album-review-noise-the-scars-we-hide/ ) and it's made me decide to add the song today. Noi!se are a 4 piece from Tacoma and Seattle who are inspired by all your favourite street punk and oi bands (Cock Sparrer, SLF, Blitz, Anti-Heroes, Menace, The Templers etc), they write songs that deal with world issues and their take on things as opposed to what you might read in the popular press. Since forming in 2009 and then releasing their first ep in 2010, they've been fairly productive, releasing a couple of albums and several ep's (including a split with Street Dogs). Impressive stuff considering a couple of them serve in the US army and therefore find the time they can spend on band duties somewhat limited. Frontman Matt Henson has one of the best voices around and he also plays a mean bass, as evidenced on this track, from the new album, this is Pawn In The Game......

Eddie and the Subtitles - American Society

"I DON'T WANNA WATCH TELEVISION
 I DON'T WANNA GO TO THE MOVIE
 I DON'T WANNA DROWN IN AMERICAN SOCIETY"


One of the albums that the subject of yesterday's update, Geza X, helped produce was Skeletons In The Closet by Eddie And The Subtitles which came out in 1981. From Southern California, the band are pretty much forgotten nowadays but were a big influence on the Orange County scene, they shared a stage several times with Black Flag and also could count many local bands such as The Adolescents as fans. Despite this they didn't really break out of their neighbourhood and their records weren't produced in great numbers. They released a single called Fuck You Eddie! (featuring the songs Louie Louie and American Society) in 1980 as well as a couple of albums, Skeletons In The Closet and Dead Drunks Don't Dance and that was it until a compilation album, also called Fuck You Eddie! appeared in 2008. Covered by several bands, including L7, the version of American Society which appeared on the debut album is different to the single version so check that out too but today's update features the original......

Geza X and the Mommymen - I Hate Punks

An upbeat song today, that sounds a little like the early Stranglers (with the addition of X Ray Spex's Laura Logic on sax), by the guy who produced a string of punk classics including Holiday In Cambodia, Lexicon Devil, John Wayne Was A Nazi and Six Pack. Born in 1952 to Hungarian parents, Geza Gadeon shortened his name to Geza X (as a tribute to Malcolm X) and as well as becoming an influential producer also played with seminal bands The Bags and The Deadbeats. The song I'm posting today is by his own band, Geza X And The Mommymen. They only released one album, 1981's You Goddamn Kids! which featured this diatribe against the commercialisation of the punk rock scene. This is I Hate Punks.....

Boyracer - He Gets Me So Hard

Venturing towards the indie side of the punk spectrum today, here's a band that formed in 1990 in Wetherby, Leeds. Boyracer might have a toe dipped in the C-86 pool of indie rock but make no mistake, Stewart Anderson and his frequently changing bandmates have been Punker Than You Since '92, bringing frenetic buzzsaw guitar assaults to numerous releases on labels like Sarah and Slumberland. Pitchfork describes Anderson as someone who "writes songs like a teenage Husker Du and Wedding Present fan bouncing on his bed in a cramped council flat" and I can't really argue with that. Here's a distorted adrenalin rush that deserves to be played loud,  this is He Gets Me So Hard......

The Skids - Test Tube Babies

"TESTING, TESTING 1-2-3"    
                                                                                                                                A band that you'll all be familiar with today. The Skids formed in 1977 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland and originally featured Richard Jobson (vocals/guitar/keyboad), Stuart Adamson (guitar/backing vocals, keyboards/percussion), Bill Simpson (bass/backing vocals) and Tam Kellichan (drums). They had a string of hit singles (including Into The Valley, Working For The Yankee Dollar, Masquerade, Charade, A Woman In Winter etc), most of which I bought when as a schoolboy in Lancaster, I'd be a regular visitor to local independent record shop, Ear Ere. They also released 4 albums (the final one, Joy, featured a more folk oriented sound and was the only one recorded without Stuart Adamson who by then had left to form Big Country). They split in 1982 but gigged again in 2007 as a tribute to Adamson who died in 2001. The song I'm featuring is one of their earliest, it came out in 1977 and was one of the tracks on the Charles ep. This is Test-Tube Babies.....

Jesus And The Gospelfuckers - Kill The Police

Here's a band from Haarlem, Holland, who formed in 1977 after hearing the Sex Pistols, moved to a squat in Amsterdam, and over the course of the next 6 years or so seemed to cause controversy and mayhem aplenty. Playing an early brand of in your face, confrontational hardcore punk they found it hard to get gigs (they often had to play using other names just to get booked), violence often broke out when they did play. Jesus And The Gospelfuckers (or Jezus And The Gospelfuckers as it's sometimes spelt) released a demo cassette in 1982 and that was about it until a split album with Agent Orange (the Dutch Agent Orange featuring ex Gospelfuckers' members not the U.S. Agent Orange) appeared in 2002. Their frequent run ins with the authorities no doubt influenced the title of the song I'm posting below, this is Kill The Police........

Top 10 Songs Chosen By Sore Subjects

  A few days ago I posted a really great song by Chicago band Sore Subjects and guitarist/vocalist Joey Salvador was kind enough to say thanks. Not one to miss an opportunity I asked him if he fancied contributing a list of his all time top 10 favourite songs and was pleased to find a reply entitled "Sore Subjects all time top 10 (in no particular order)". Just to keep the list looking like everyone else's top 10's I've numbered them as they were written. Originally Joey and fellow original band member Marissa D.N.A. intended to form a Ramones cover band called Kosher Salamis so it's not too much of a surprise as to who the song of the day is going to be by. If you want to listen to Sore Subjects, visit their bandcamp page, you'll love 'em....... http://soresubjects.bandcamp.com/

Thanks for the chart guys......

1) Ramones - Chain Saw

2)  HEAD - Taking A Peek

3)  Dan Sartain - Indian Massacre

4)  Devo - Mongoloid

5)  The Spits - Bring (Me Down)

6)  Shrapnel - Combat Love

7)  Riverdales - Blood On The Ice

8)  The Exploding Hearts - Rumours In Town

9)  The Marked Men - Wait Here, Wait For You

10) The Descendents - I'm Not A Punk

Citizen Fish - Marker Pen

Here's a great big, bouncy, in your face tune by scene veterans Citizen Fish. From Bath, England, formed in 1989 and featuring several members who've also played in Subhumans and Culture Shock, they mix up punk and ska, and throw in the distinctive vocals of Dick Lucas to produce an eclectic mix of socially aware material. As well as having a sizable back catalogue they also put out a split album with Leftover Crack called Deadline but today's song is taken from their 2011 Goods lp and it's called Marker Pen.....

The nicest bloke I've ever known
Got locked up in a nursing home
Some disorder of the brain
It had a scientific name
They filled him full of pills and then
Left him with a marker pen
With no paper to his name
He started up a little game

Wrote upon the t.v. screen
And the beverage machine
'Out of order' - wrote on chairs
That someone else was sitting there
Wrote on exit doors 'return'
Wrote on curtains 'will not burn'
Wrote on the telephone 'lines are dead'
Wrote 'on his head' on his head

Even though he was insane
Driven mad by the constant strain
Of repetition and empty scenes
Where everything is and nothing means
Subverting symbols back to front
Proved he was intelligent
So they let him out and left me behind
Now I got his pen and plenty of time

All of this just goes to show
What words can do with the status quo 

The Sneakers - I Fall In Love With A Punk Rock Girl

A week or so ago I mentioned about trying to add more punk songs from different countries and asked if anyone knew of any decent bands that I might like.  My mate, Mark Simpson, who's been a keen punk music fan since we were both at school together in the late '70's couldn't be bothered offering up any suggestions (as he states on his facebook status update today "apathy....it's got a hold on me" so i can understand him not being overly forthcoming) but luckily I noticed that he's a fan of The Sneakers (who I'll admit to having never of before) and so today I'm going to jump onto his bandwagon and add them to these pages. From Kuta, Bali, they're the first Indonesian band I've added. Possibly unsurprisingly, they play a "surfy" kind of pop punk music and are influenced by the likes of The Queers, Screeching Weasel, The Ventures, Dick Dale and Link Wray. Featuring Eko on guitar and vocals, Didit on bass and vocals and Jemmy on drums, they earlier this year released a single called I Fall In Love With A Punk Rock Girl. There's also an album called Freaks From The Other Side Of The World (you can get it here : http://www.ramonetothebone.info/2014/06/the-sneakers-freaks-from-other-side-of.html ). Here's the single.........

Top 10 Songs Chosen By The Number Ones......

Every so often I ask an artist or band that I really like if they'd like to contribute a list of their favourite 10 songs, sometimes there's no reply but occasionally people are kind enough to go to the trouble of compiling a chart. The recent (debut) album by Dublin's The Number Ones is looking likely to be my favourite of the year (I highly recommend you check it out if you haven't heard it yet : http://staticshockrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-number-ones )  so I asked the band's Sean Goucher for his list, he agreed but fellow member Eddie Kenrick ended up doing it so I'm classing it as a joint effort. The selections weren't numbered so I'll put 1-10 as they were listed......

1)  Toy Love - Don't Ask Me

2)  Sort Sol (ft. Lydia Lunch) - Boy/Girl

3)  Gene Pitney - It Hurts To Be In Love

4)  Stiv Bators - Make Up Your Mind

5)  The Love Triangle - Secret Grip

6)  Crisis - UK 78

7)  Primetime - Tied Down

8)  Blitz - Solar

9)  The Now - Into The 80's

10) Wire - Fragile

I've already posted the Toy Love track here ( http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/top-10-songs-chosen-by-angelo-ruggiero.html ) when it was part of Angelo Ruggiero's top 10 so I'm going to pick Fragile by Wire as song of the day. Thank you to Sean and Eddie for their efforts......

Tears fall in slivers,
you broke my shades,
the light too bright,
let me bury my heart.

Filter emotions of greens,
cowardice gives blue,
a restricted view,
let me open my heart.

I have a fleeting love,
scorching when it lands,
fragile,
needing precious hands,
fragile.

You eat my energy,
give me more rope,
Nail in the wall,
let me hang my heart.

I have a fleeting love,
scorching when it lands,
fragile,
needing precious hands,
fragile.

The Bobbyteens - Hate Me Just A Little Bit

"I don't expect you to love me now
 that would be too much
 I wouldn't want that anyhow
 hate me just a little bit....."


There's times when my other half is watching The X Factor on tv and Simon, Louis, Scary Spice and the one with the flowery arse are judging the latest rider on the pop pap conveyor belt when I think "I understand that they're looking for unchallenging, family friendly turds that they can polish up for mass consumption, and I understand that people brought up on a diet of sterile commercialism might not like anything that's a little different to what they're used to but........there's some really great pop tunes out there that I love, but for some reason (maybe it's not autotuned enough, maybe all the rough edges haven't been knocked off, maybe my ears are just set to a slightly different frequency???) the songs I love, despite being catchy and performed with feeling don't seem to feature on there.  A case in point being today's update which was released in 2004 by The Bobbyteens on their Cruisin' For A Bruisin' album. Formed in 1996 and featuring members of a multitude of earlier bands (such as The Trashwomen, The Mummies, Supercharger, Spastics....) the band originated from South City, California and mixed garage, rock n roll and pop to great effect. Next time your other half makes you watch The X Factor and you're thinking pop music is awful, you're wrong. When done well, it's glorious, witness Hate Me Just A Little Bit, in a better world it'd get 4 yes'es and our Saturday nights would be just that little bit better......

The Scavengers - True Love

The band featured in today's update were formed way back in the mid 70's by graphic design students Ken Cooke, Simon Monroe, Mike Simons and Marlon Hart at the Auckland Technical Institute in New Zealand and only changed their name from 1 B Darlings to The Scavengers in 1977 as a tidal wave of punk rock swept the planet. It was around this time that Hart was replaced on bass duties by future Dead Can Dance founder Brendan Perry. Using stage names such as Johnny Volume, Des Truction, Mike Lezbian etc  they played mostly cover versions in their early years but as the 70's wound down they began writing their own compositions including a couple which featured on the AK79 compilation. In 1979 they relocated to Melbourne, Australia and the following year changed their name to The Marching Girls. Possibly their best song, and one which was recorded by both The Scavengers and The Marching Girls, was True Love......

HiFi Handgrenades - Detroit Has A Skyline

Dont ya just love having to get up at 5am on a saturday to go and work a 12 hour shift! So with that happening I'm going to quickly knock up an update before I head off. HiFi Handgrenades were from Detroit, Michigan and got together in 2006 following the demise of power pop band The Fags. Comprising of Fags vocalist/guitarist John Speck plus ex Suicide Machines drummer Ryan Vandeberghe and bassist Rich Tschirhart, as well as Grande Nationals guitarist/vocalist they released a very decent album called Carry On (in 2008) from which this excellent cover of Superchunk's Detroit Has A Skyline is taken.....

No Love - Scab

Here's another new band that I know nothing about but a quick crawl through the depths of the internet reveals that No Love are a hardcore influenced pop punk band from Raleigh, North Carolina, who's members have previously been in a host of other bands such as Devour, Logic Problems, Last Words, Infeccion and Black Zinfandel. They released a demo in May 2013 (available here : http://noloveraleigh.bandcamp.com/album/no-love-demo ) and have just followed it up with Tape #2 (which is here : http://noloveraleigh.bandcamp.com/ ). From Tape #2, featuring a stellar vocal performance from Elizabeth Lynch and catchy as hell backing by the rest of the band (Daniel, Osamu, Seth and Dave),   this is S.C.A.B. (aka Some Cops Are Bastards)........

Interrobang - Love It All

A new band today but one which features a couple of members from legendary anarcho troublemakers Chumbawamba. Dunstan Bruce and Harry Hamer have recently teamed up again to unleash Interrobang. Judging from these early rough mixes ( http://interrobangband.co.uk/#media )  they're making spiky but intelligent post punk music and I'm looking forward to hearing more.  They've put a video online which is inspired by Toby Amies' film "The Man Whose Mind Exploded." This is Love It All.....

Sore Subjects - Obscene Calls

  One of the most enjoyable songs I've stumbled upon whilst searching for stuff to enthuse about is the one I'm posting today, it's from the 4 track Missing Link ep which was released in 2012 by Chicago 3 piece Sore Subjects. So far they've released a demo, a s/t single (track one was called Gimme A Dee Dee and hints at their love of The Ramones "mommy took me to the barbershop, gimme a Dee Dee, gimme a Dee Dee") and finally the aforementioned Missing Link ep. part garage punk, part pop punk, 100% catchy as hell punk, this is Obscene Calls.....

Call you up on the phone
When I think you’re all alone
Obscene calls

Operator please connect
Hear me breathing down your neck
Obscene calls

Don’t hang up

I just called to have a chat
Ripped the cord out of the jack
Obscene calls

It’s a landline love affair
When I ask you what you wear
Obscene calls

Don’t hang up 

The Stiffs - Fuck You

I'm going to post another Canadian classic today, this one's from 1978 (although I don't think it was actually released till 1991 when it surfaced on a compilation album) and it's by a Vancouver band called The Stiffs. I don't know much about the band except that a couple of them (Gerry Hannah and Mike Graham) went on to be members of The Subhumans (the ones from Canada not England). The Subhumans did their own version of the song and it was also covered by several other bands including D.O.A. and Screeching Weasel. A slice of proper punk, full of attitude and spite, this is Fuck You......

Pointed Sticks - What Do You Want Me To Do

Following on from yesterday's update in which i mentioned a few of the countries from which I'd posted songs, I got a shout out not to forget Canada. So today I'm adding one of Canada's finest bands, a band that took inspiration for their name from a Monty Python sketch ("We want to learn how to defend ourselves against pointed sticks, do we?"). Formed in Vancouver in 1978 and originally known as Ernie Dick and the Pointed Sticks (a name that was quickly and probably wisely shortened to Pointed Sticks), they stayed together till 1981, releasing an album called Perfect Youth and a handful of singles. Blending punk and power pop they enjoy a legendary status both at home and overseas, 2006 saw them reforming for a Japanese tour and this in turn lead to the release of a 2009 album called Three Lefts Make A Right. Whilst we wait for their new album, this is their debut single, What Do You Want Me To Do?.......

You walked out took your chance
You turned your back on our romance
You said you'd found somebody new
You said the change would do you good

But then the bubble burst your dream
Turned into a nightmare scream
He pushed you till you nearly cracked
But now you say you want me back

But baby, baby, what do you want me to do (what do you want me to do)
Say that I need you more (need you more)
Is that what real lovers do (is that what real lovers do)
Or only what you use me for (use me for)

You never even gave me a thought
You figured that I'd be alright
I never had a chance to persuade you
You never let me put up a fight

You wanted that boy so bad
Until you found out that you'd been had
You came crawling to me on your knees
Asking me to love you please
But baby, baby, what do you want me to do (what do you want me to do)
Say that I need you more (need you more)
Is that what real lovers do (is that what real lovers do)
Or only what you use me for (use me for)

But baby, baby, what do you want me to do (what do you want me to do)
Say that I need you more (need you more)
Is that what real lovers do (is that what real lovers do)
Or only what you use me for (use me for)

The Inserts - Komm Her!

Most of the music in this blog seems to emanate from either the UK or the USA, I do include music from the rest of the world (off the top of my head this includes the likes of France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark Australia, Spain, Japan and no doubt a few other places which have slipped my memory) but I should try harder to find more (I'm open to suggestions so if you're in Greenland, Cuba or The United Arab Emirates etc and you know of a killer punk band (I need to like them to add them so if our tastes differ don't get offended if your favourite band don't get added!) please let me know).

An example of a killer punk band from "the rest of the world" would be The Inserts, an all girl group from Berlin who formed on New Years Eve 2009 following the demise of a band called Crumpets. After a few line up changes they now feature Elli Aperol (vocals), Nanke The Anchor (bass), Gabriale Fatale (guitar) and Maschina Acidwitch (drums), the band released a debut ep in 2013 and you can listen to it in it's entirety here : http://hundemannrecords.bandcamp.com/album/komm-her-ep
As you'll notice, there's a strong 1977 vintage punk influence, which can only ever be a good thing in my opinion. My knowledge on the band isn't great, as far as I know they're managing to gig fairly regularly but I've no idea when new material will be forthcoming (so if anyone in the know would like to add more in the comments that'd be great). From the ep, this is the title track Komm Her! I think it's great......

Night Birds - Thrilling Murder

"The human race is worthless man, and they should all be killed."

Today I'm in the mood for a snappy punk song that I can sing along to so after a little thought I'm going to post an oldie by New Jersey surf punks Night Birds. The band formed early in 2009 after bassist Joe Keller's previous band The Ergs split up. They announced themselves to the world with a demo and followed this up in 2010 with a 5 track s/t ep (from which today's song comes) and the Killer Waves single. 2011 saw them working like crazy, seemingly constant touring as well as the Midnight Movies single and a debut album (The Other Side Of Darkness) plus their Fresh Kills compilation. Since then, they've become one of punks most popular acts, releasing a couple more classic singles and the 2013 album, Born To Die In Suburbia. Featuring their trademark guitar sound and vocalist Brian Gorsegner revealing how he spends his nights dreaming about ridding the world of assholes, this is Thrilling Murder.....

Nancy - (Get The) Revvup

After a few days of quality old hardcore punk, today we get back up to date with a recent slice of catchy pop punk/rock n roll that might remind you of Mean Jeans or possibly Nobunny. A two piece from Brooklyn, New York, Nancy aren't afraid to add spoonfuls of sugar to their brand of garage punk. As everyone knows, too much sugar can rot your teeth but these guys add just enough to cause your feet to twitch and your heart to soar. I've seen them compared to The Spits and The Ramones which as far as bands to be compared to goes ain't something anyone would be upset about. 2013 saw the release of an 8 track s/t demo lp and this year they follow that up with an infectious 7" single which contains the catchy as hell tracks (Get The) Revvup and (Why Am I) Crying? Rather splendidly, they're available "name your price" here : http://nancymommy.bandcamp.com/ so sling them a few bucks and enjoy a sugar rush. This is (Get The) Revvup......

Rotunda - Neutron Bomb

"Eyes Melt
 Skin Explodes
 Everybody Dead"

The last couple of updates have seen some top notch hardcore tinged punk rock from the USA, today I'm posting more of the same but this time by a band that hails from Birmingham, England. Rotunda started life in 1996 as a 4 piece but went on to beef things up a bit by adding a second guitarist. They took their name from Birmingham's Rotunda (it's a cylindrical 266 ft tall high rise building in the city centre). Mixing up hardcore punk with a dash of oi, the band don't shy away from political comment in their songs, as is evident in the track I've chosen to post. In 2011 they released their debut album, Chalk It Up, which is available free here : http://rotunda.bandcamp.com/ . Owing a debt to Repo Man (in a similar way to I Am A Cancer by Smogtown does), this is Neutron Bomb......

Government Warning - Fat Nation

Government Warning formed in 2005 and hailed from Richmond, Virginia. They were together until 2011 and in that time released some of the best hardcore punk music you'll find. The song I've chosen comes from their 2006 classic album, No Moderation. Punknews.org described it as being "a perfect soundtrack for circle pits and skate videos" and i think that sums things up pretty nicely. A biting critique on American dietary habits, Fat Nation is a hardcore punk classic.....






burger king and taco bell
addicted to the shit they sell
gargling their fat and grease
you're countin' carbs but you're still obese

exercise? no fuckin' way
you'd rather just fucking pay and pay
easy ways out, quick relief
but being fat is not a fucking disease

all across the world they thunk were crazy
man they say america is just fat and lazy
maybe they're right
maybe concrete jungles look like urban tombs
maybe its true, and were all fucking doomed

twinkies and cathode rays
the latest work free fitness craze
comatose motherfuckers too lazy for life
but low cal , low carb thats no way to survive

welcome to the red white and blue
were all fat and lazy and you could be too
welcome to the red white and blue
where half of us rely on fast food

Toxic Reasons - War Hero

Formed in Dayton, Ohio in 1979, Toxic Reasons, like many other bands, found the going tough in those early days..... "Times weren't easy for the band in the early days living in Dayton,Ohio, a city in a state hardly noted for punk music,but the band survived .There were many days when,Ed,Rob,Bruce,J.J. , Joel, and Greg lived on ONE DOLLAR a DAY ! They used to pool their dollars to buy tortillas and cans of chili beans and heat them up on their van dashboard heater ! Gig money was just enough to fill up the van with gas . There were even times that they had to steal boots to put on their feet along with other shit . These were hard times indeed,and these guys paid their dues to be sure."
 Despite a few line up changes, the band persevered and released a sizeable catalogue of quality music, including this first single, War Hero.....

I don't wanna be no war hero
Don't want a movie made about me
I don't wanna be no war hero
Just get away from the madness I see

Ten thousand dead in Phenom Phen
Happens every day again and again
I didn't wanna come here in the first place
Didn't wanna destroy another race

Sent me over here when I was a boy
Taught me to kill with their government toy
Now the G.I.'s, they're all dead
And my best friend just lost his head

Joyce Manor - Victoria

It's a grey Monday morning in Northern England and I'm shortly due to set off on a 35 mile drive to work so I think an upbeat, bouncy song is the order of the day to help disperse the clouds. Probably no introduction is required to Joyce Manor but briefly, they formed in 2008, hail from Torrance, California and they took their name from an apartment building which was located near the house of lead vocalist/guitarist Barry Johnson. They seem to preach that Brevity is next to Godliness as their 3 albums are all brief affairs, short on running time but certainly not short on ideas or tunes to die for. The latest of these albums, released in July of this year on Epitaph Records, is called Never Hungover Again and from it comes this little ray of sunshine, this is Victoria.....

Had such a bad time hanging out
regret the choices that I made
I know it doesn't matter now
won't be the one who walks away

Victoria
you've got me hanging on again
Victoria

Had such a hard time saying no
locked myself out and had to climb
over the back wall and scraped my arm
it bled a little, but I'm fine

Victoria
you've got me hanging on again
Victoria

Took the screen door off the frame
washed the blood off of my arm
and watched it circle down the drain
put the screen down back in place
now I'm alone again

Victoria
you've got me hanging on again
Victoria