I suppose as it's Halloween I'd better attempt to make this update Halloween related. I'm going to go with a song from a 27 track compilation album titled Punk Rock Halloween - Loud, Fast And Scary. It's full of songs about zombies, creatures of the night, ghosts, Jack The Ripper etc and features lots of great bands (UK Subs, 999, Vibrators, The Adolescents, Anti Nowhere League, The Members, Guttermouth, JFA, Down By Law just to name a few). You can check it out here : https://punkrockhalloween.bandcamp.com/album/punk-rock-halloween-loud-fast-scary
The song I'm highlighting is a new one by The Dwarves. The band needs no introduction, they always go down a storm when I feature them on here and it gives me an excuse to plug their new ep, Julio. It features 4 tracks and is available from Riot Style.... http://shop.riotstyle.com/product/the-dwarves-julio-ep-7-vinyl-direct-edition
Mark Wynn is a York based performance artist who I only recently stumbled across and whom I know very little about. I've read that his live performances can often leave audiences open mouthed at his eccentric ramblings. Vibrations Magazine asks "is it stand up? Is it performance art? Is it just silly? Is it punk? Is it just a Fall rip-off? It may be all these things and it may be none of them, but it is very, very, very funny indeed." Other reviewers describe him as being akin "to the nutter on the bus", "possessed by the devil in a mid LSD trip" and "the absolute pits." I suppose it's better to divide an audience than to bore them...
In a previous incarnation he was a member of a band called Hijak Oscar before reinventing himself as an eccentric oddity. I've never heard Hijak Oscar but I'm guessing they weren't anything like as interesting or entertaining as his current guise.
I'll be playing his song, Rip Off The Fall, on Tuesday's Just Some Punk Songs show (https://www.facebook.com/events/128267074545909/) but today I'm posting a song from the splendidly titled collection Singles - But They're Not Really Singles, I Just Sent Them to the Screen and Said They Were Singles' Singles. This is called The Girl Who Looked Like Bobby Gllespie....
Earlier this month I posted a top 10 selected by Ramonas bassist Victoria Smith which proved very popular (justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/top-10-songs-chosen-by-victoria-smith.html) and attracted a few thousand of you to click on the page. I'm sure today's update will go down equally as well as it's the first video from their excellent debut album, First World Problems. As I mentioned previously, despite starting up as a Ramones tribute act, The Ramonas are now writing and recording their own material, and very good it is too.
Originally conceived in 2004, The Ramonas have undergone numerous line up changes leaving them currently boasting the talents of not only Victoria Smith but also Lisa Lathwell (vocals), Maxine Cahill (guitar) and Camille Phillips (drums). Whilst not featuring any Ramones covers, First World Problems certainly captures their fire and spirit. It features 14 blistering tracks and even finds room to fit in a guest appearance from Charlie Harper and his trusty harmonica. You can pick up the album here : http://ramonas.bigcartel.com/product/first-world-problems-album and get more band info here :
Last year The Guardian featured a live review of the band and wondered what "this spirited foursome" would sound like performing their own material. Now we know the answer, pretty damn good. This is Poser.....
Philadelphia oi band Mob Mentality are preparing to release their debut album, Carry On Tradition. The cd will be out early next month on Subcultural Records, and being lucky enough to have heard it I can promise all genre fans that they won't be disappointed.
Those of you familiar with debut ep No Honour, No Guts, No Glory (https://mobmentalityoi.bandcamp.com/releases) will be pleased to hear that Carry On Tradition is more of the same hard hitting working class oi. It's not reinventing the wheel, the songs deal with many well worn themes such as fighting to survive, working class blues, standing together and fighting to the end. Song titles include Skinhead, You're Not Alone and Boozin' & Bruisin' but it's all accompanied with catchy singalong tunes and a big beefy production. If you're a fan of this type of music then you'll definitely enjoy the album. I can imagine them going down a storm at somewhere like the Rebellion Festival. You can check out more details here : https://www.facebook.com/Mob-Mentality-379293632455734/
Dan from the band has been kind enough to allow me to play a song from the album on next Tuesday's Just Some Punk Songs show so tune in on the 31st at 8pm (gmt) for an exclusive listen : https://www.facebook.com/events/128267074545909/
This is the song they posted recently on Youtube, it's called Fallen Brother.....
As mentioned last week, I'm going to try and sort out a guest to pick and say a few words about a song every Friday. Ex Dr And The Crippens bassist and Pulsebeat host Wayne Elliott returns today with his thoughts on a track off the latest album from Chicago band Meat Wave. You can find the album here : https://meatwavechicago.bandcamp.com/album/the-incessant
It’s isn’t always apparent what will go down well on Pulsebeat but this track was very warmly received in the room. I had been sat on it a while – the album came out in February – but I will be sure to feature more from tracks in the run up to Xmas.
Like Dylan’s ‘Blood On The Tracks’ or Marvin Gaye’s ‘Here, My Dear’ the third lp from Chicago band Meat Wave takes it’s inspiration from a break up. Meat Wave frontman Chris Sutter found himself adrift from a 12-year relationship. A period of self-centred and nihilistic behaviour followed, leaving him spent and overwhelmed by anxiety. He kept a notebook of what he was going through and one word cropped up again and again incessant.
“It’s a really good word to describe these hyper emotive situations that I would find myself in where I was just full of feeling and sometimes confusion and regret. It was just very oncoming and overwhelming. So that time in my life and those situations I would find myself in… that’s the incessant,”
Recorded in 4 days with Steve Albini at the helm the album retains the power of their previous work whilst adding a new layer of intimacy through the personal nature of the lyrics. It’s a bold and brave album and a massively entertaining one. Here is the title track ‘The Incessant’.
Prison factory / Zoning committee / Refuse to pay all fees & loans / Could always say I didn't know / The banal sensation of following a dream / The realization it wasn't what it seemed / Making eye contact with a dog / Could always say It’s not my fault / The incessant / Payment's due / The incessant / The feelings moved / The incessant / What anxious doom / The incessant / Coming for you / What's the worst thing you've ever done? / sent both years apart to the hospital / lost, aimless or confused? / In every aspect I'm unsure of what I'm doing / Are you scared? Are you alone? / In the shadow of dross, gazing on as I moan / Through the imminent unease / the incessant, when a sentence makes you queasy / the incessant / payment’s due / the incessant / series of tubes / the incessant / the cop just shoots / the incessant / it’s coming for you
I'm going to follow up yesterday's update that featured a song by Rochester melodic punk trio Philtrum by posting the 10 favourite songs chosen collaboratively by Paul and Leo from the band. If you missed the update I'll just point you in the direction of their music : https://philtrum.bandcamp.com/
They didn't number their 10 picks so I'll number them as they came.
Philtrum are a 3 piece punk band from Rochester or at least they were and would like to be again. Founded in 2011 by vocalist/guitarist Paul Pearson they also feature Leo on bass but are currently looking for a new drummer. Can any of you guys reading this help out with their search?
As you can see from the poster, they're very much influenced by the 90's melodic punk and skateboarding scenes. Some of you may have heard their cover of The Senseless Things' song Girlfriend which recently came out on the Punk, Not Fraggle tribute album https://www.senselessthingstribute.co.uk/buy-album
Other releases by the band include 2012's Needs Must ep, 2013's Rough Days ep, 2014's Permanent single and new track Crantock. You can find most of them name your price on Bandcamp : https://philtrum.bandcamp.com/
You can also get more info (including news that a new album is in the pipeline) here : http://www.philtrum.co.uk/. Come back tomorrow as I'll be posting a top 10 of their favourite songs.
An upbeat summer anthem, this is Crantock.....
It's here, the time of year that I just love. I want to be out,I want to be outside and not in a pub breathing clean air, and not sweaty pits with too many people in my space. I'll race ya.
There is no other place I'd like to be now, There is no other view I'd like to see now. There is no....
Relax put your feet up, and enjoy the day. This is your time, it's not my time I will slip away. Sand between your toes and very little clothes. Grab your board I hear it calling... I'll race ya.
One band that's been going down well with the listeners in the chatroom on the Just Some Punk Songs show is one man band Christian Fitness. It's the latest project by Andrew Falkous (whom you'll know from Mcclusky and Future Of The Left). As well as vocals, he does everything else aside from play drums.
Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, he's releasing albums at the rate of 1 a year. Thus far there's been I Am Scared Of Everything That Isn't Me (2014), Love Letters In The Age Of Steam (2015), This Taco Is Not Correct (2016) and Slap Bass Hunks (2017). Inventive, bass heavy and packed with Falkous' unique vocal wordplay you can find them here : https://christianfitness.bandcamp.com/
Not easy to pick a favourite to post for you as there's plenty to choose from but I'm going to try and hook those of you that may have so far missed out on the band with this one. Other Men's Wives.....
Today's update features "The Neitzschean Supermen Of Dustbin Rock...."
Heavy Metal are a 3 piece from Berlin who are tagged as being a metal band on Bandcamp but happily are much more interesting than that. They released their debut LP in 2016, followed it up less than a year later with LP2 and after presumably deciding 10 months between releases was far too long only waited 7 months to unleash LP3. It came out earlier this month on golden 12" vinyl on Harbinger Sound and you can find all 3 albums here : https://heavymetal.bandcamp.com/
I've heard them described as "Germs or Zounds covering Devo on speed." Comparisons have also been made with Crass and Sleaford Mods, personally I'm getting reminded of Mcluskey. They produce chaotic punk music complete with chords, riffs, samples and all manner of quirky odds and ends. On their last album they covered Rod Stewart's Do You Think I'm Sexy, this time around they put their own unique spin on Cameo's Word Up. It's punk Jim, but not as we know it. This is one of those bands I'd direct people towards when they start moaning that punk isn't interesting or exciting anymore. Granted it's not your typical vocals, guitar, bass, drums, verse, chorus, verse anthemic punk sound but it's all the better for that.
A top 10 for you today chosen by Justin Maurer who as well as being guitarist & vocalist in Suspect Parts has also been a member of several other bands including Clorox Girls, Red Dons and L.A. Drugz. I posted a Suspect Parts song a few days ago which was taken from their new S/T album. You can check out the album here : https://takenbysurpriserecords.bandcamp.com/album/suspect-parts-lp and you can find details of their forthcoming European tour here : https://www.facebook.com/SuspectParts/
Many thanks to Justin for selecting his Top 10.....
1) ROY ORBISON - Blue Bayou Something about the quality of Roy's voice just hits you in the gut and in the soul. It's all here, the tragedy of a beating hungry heart.
2) THE POWER CHORDS - Dream Girl Here we have teenage longing paired with perfect soaring harmonies.
3) BUZZCOCKS - Get On Our Own Maybe there's nothing better than the sound of Pete Shelley going Oh ooh woa ooh woa. And when he goes, Just me and you...aaawww at the very end of the song...pure bliss.
4) BEACH BOYS - In My Room A beautiful song full of sentimental melancholy and loneliness. Brian Wilson is a genius. It's also like a pep talk for the self. Now it's dark and I'm alone/ But I won't be afraid/In my room/in my room
5) ROLLING STONES - Dead Flowers Pretty damn close to perfection. It sounds like drinking bourbon and smoking cigarettes in 1971. As well as Delta Blues and Chicago Blues, these guys love honky tonk country music, the Bakersfield sound, Buck Owens. Even though Jagger's forced American accent is over the top, somehow it doesn't affect the authenticity of the tune. Take me down/little Suzie/Take Me Down
6) RICHIE VALENS - We Belong Together Richie was a yearning, lovelorn teenager in high school when he wrote this song and you can hear it in his voice. He was taken from us too soon.
7) THE CONTROLLERS - Jezebel Jezebel was a 1950s pop music standard covered many times by dozens of bands including The Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, and Herman's Hermits. In 1978 The Controllers from L.A. did a savage punk rock version. To me this is what punk should sound like.They had a black female drummer Carla "Mad Dog" DuPlantier who may be the only female black punk drummer from the late 70s that I know of? The Controllers also recorded a a song called "Neutron Bomb" before The Weirdos did, but the Weirdos version is definitely the better one.
8) THE SMALL FACES - All Or Nothing
Steve Marriott was a wailer. The Small Faces may have been small, but they were tough as nails. All Or Nothing is as much a call to arms as it is a love song. Alright! All or nothin' AAaaahhh yeaaaaaah
9) CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - Lodi Plenty of people stick their noses up at The Doors and Creedence and they shouldn't. The lyrics of this song especially resonate with me. If I only had a dollar/For every song I've sung/And every time I had to play/While people sat there drunk
10) X - I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
This song has brought me to tears multiple times. Absolutely beautiful.
Will the last American band to get played on the radio Please bring the flag? Please bring the flag! Glitter disco synthesizer night school All this noble savage drum drum drum Astronauts go back in time to hang out with the cave people It's about time It's about space It's about some people in the strangest places Woody Guthrie sang about B-E-E-T-S, not B-E-A-T-S I must not think bad thoughts
I mentioned yesterday that I was going to try and get a guest review sorted out once a week. Ex Dr And The Crippens bassist Wayne Elliott kindly sent me one to post next Friday. He also sent me an extra one and as Slowcoaches are currently touring and their single is now out I'll use that as today's update. I'll just quickly mention that Wayne hosts a internet show, Pulsebeat, and you can find the shows saved here : https://www.mixcloud.com/Wayne_Elliott/
With so much focus at the moment on the treatment of women in the film industry the latest single from London 3 piece Slowcoaches shines a light on some of the seedier aspects of the music industry.
Slowcoaches vocalist / bassist Heather Perkins commented “‘Complex’ is a response to the sexual assault allegations against artists that were in the press at the time I wrote it. There’s still a really dirty side to the industry – particularly with the encouragement and portrayal of male artists in rock music to god-like status. All too often, the system is adhering to an archaic, misogynistic interpretation of ‘punk’ that makes guys think they’re invincible, that they have an authority over women’s bodies.”
She continues: “It sweeps the artists up, way out of their depth, and then there’s no one there to support them in dealing with this stuff in the right way when they eventually get called out. We came up with the concept of the video when we were talking about this – the idea of a split self – that there are parts of the personality that are always hidden from view. Pulling the curtain away, kind of peeling back those layers – the bright light exposing all the grubby stuff underneath.”
A slow burning start leads into a full throttle assault and shows the band pushing on from last year’s ‘Nothing GIves’ LP. Work has already started on the follow up which will be released in 2018 via Leisure & District. The single will be available this side of the new year on screen-printed 7” vinyl, backed by a venomous cover of the Fang classic ‘The Money Will Roll Right In’.
After around 1400 songs chosen and introduced by myself I decided you might enjoy someone different having a go so I'm going to try and feature a weekly update that gives a blog regular the chance to review a current favourite. As I know from past experience with asking for the Top 10 lists (and even already with these guest reviews), people often seem keen to do them but then forget or change their minds so it's possibly it might not work out at once a week but I'll try.
Anyway, the first guest reviewer is Wolf Bites Boy vocalist Stuart Marsden. You've no doubt seen them posted on here several times but just in case, you can check them out here : https://wolfbitesboy.bandcamp.com/
Stuart's chosen a song from the new album, Take It As It Comes, by Madrid band Rude Pride (https://www.facebook.com/RudePride/) so I'll hand over to him.....
So the wait is over and one of my favourite bands have just released a new album and it’s an absolute monster!!!
One track that stands out for me is “Once Again” it starts with this brilliant fast paced riff that immediately grabs your attention, melody has always been a factor for me in liking a track and this one is packed to the rafters with melody and a catchy hook. But what makes this track stand out to me is how they break it down at the end with the raspy vocal from Miguel and the catchy as ever bass lines builds this track up to a rousing crescendo. All in all this is just one track out of 12 on the latest album “Take it as it comes” which I can’t get enough of at the minute, other stand out tracks for me include Bars & Shackles, Disorder and the fantastic reggae track Many People Suffer, I’m so glad these guys have been asked to play Rebellion festival again next year, Skinhead till I die!!!
Cheers Mick for giving me the opportunity to shout about a great new track!!
OH BONDAGE! UP YOURS! Yeah I'm mentioning that today's song briefly samples the X Ray Spex classic right at the start of this intro in an attempt to attract the attention of those of you who prefer your punk music to be from the golden era of the late 70's and who might otherwise skip past this post with nary a second glance. Hopefully a few of you guys will find it worthwhile checking out the song at the bottom....
ISS are a North Carolina duo featuring Edwin Jamal Schneider from Brain F# and Rich Ivey from Whatever Brains. They released their self titled debut tape in 2015 and followed it up earlier this year with (Endless Pussyfooting). Both are available digitally name your price : https://iss2012.bandcamp.com/
I think it's fair to say that they're more experimental than your average punk band. Repeat listens throw up new delights, so if you're an old punker who prefers the good old days but have read thus far, open your mind and give them a fair crack of the whip.
Dark/Light are from Portland, Oregon and have been together since 2013. The line up of the band is Candy Schramer (vocals), Justin Schramer (guitar/vocals), Mary Esquivel (drums) and Tarika Hanawalt (bass). They're often compared to The Wipers but other names thrown into the mix include The Avengers, 13th Floor Elevators, Pagens, Minutemen etc. Think garage rock, surf guitars and female vocals and you won't be too far off.
Patsy are the New Orleans low-fi glitter punk band fronted by Candice from Mystic Inane who featured on here in 2015 with a song called Nazi's Are So Plain. That song has resurfaced, along with 6 others, on a new mini lp titled LA Women which is out now on yellow vinyl on La Vida Es Un Mus Discos : http://lavidaesunmus.com/shop/product.php?id_product=4866
The band lines up with Camylle (vocals), Matt (guitar), Tricia (bass) and Thomas (drums). Most of their songs are short, sharp sonic blasts meaning that they can squeeze 30 tracks taken from their 6 years as a band onto the album. Earlier releases from them are here : https://baddaddies.bandcamp.com/
From Over 30 Singles, this song is great, it's an infectiously catchy fuzzbomb that'll get you bouncing off the walls of your room. It's called Not That Kind Of Girlfriend....
The Ejected were the Riot City Records band from Dagenham who's flame flickered for a couple of years or so during the early 80's before seemingly being snuffed out. They briefly returned in 1999 to record tracks for the Captain Oi! Best Of album before reforming properly in 2014. A single (Dead Man Walking) and album (Back From The Dead) followed, they even made it onto this very blog with this modern day classic : http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/the-ejected-cops-are-coming.html.
With the current oi scene being the strongest it's been for years, it's a good time for them to release a new album. Out earlier this month on Randale Records that album is titled Game Of Survival and it's definitely not a case of a band trading on former glories. You can get it here : http://www.randaleshop.de/product_info.php?products_id=13156
The line up of The Ejected in 2017 still has original vocalist Jim Brooks and he's ably supported by Jonny Romain (guitar/vocals), Paul Berry (bass/vocals) and Toby Thacker (drums). New line up, same catchy and humerous sing alongs. There's also Jim Brooks' Ejected artwork, an example of which you'll see at the top of this page.
I'll play the title track from Game Of Survival on Tuesday's Just Some Punk Songs show (https://www.facebook.com/events/525634891105645/) whilst today going with the first video from the album. This is Alien Abduction.....
The Decatonics are a Dorset based ska/mod band who formed in 2012 and feature a line up of Sals (lead vocals), Tyrone (vocals/guitar), Rowan (bass), Steve R (keys), Steve H (drums), Mike (tenor sax), Pete (alto sax), Kent (trumpet), and Steve D (trombone). They're influenced by numerous ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul acts such as Prince Buster, Laurel Aitkin, Skatalites, The Specials, Selecter, Secret Affair, Etta James, Bob Marley etc.... Ex Gonads drummer Steve Higgins has previously featured on here as a member of Kill The Colossi (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/kill-colossi-fuck-taxman.html).
You can find more info on the band, including upcoming live dates, here :
The song you'll find below is a Jam cover and it features on a charity compilation called Gifted which is a Jam tribute album set up by the Specialized Project : a worldwide music community that raises money for suffering teenagers and young adults that have difficult circumstances in their lives. You can find out more about the 70 track, 4 cd compilation here : http://www.specializedproject.co.uk/albumssingles/specialized-6-gifted/
This was originally on the 1977 album This Is The Modern World. As with all the best cover versions, The Decatonics have taken a great song and put their own unique spin on it, this is Standards....
Dadar's first release was back in January and was a 3 track self titled demo ep. Now there's a new 7" ep called Sick Of Pasta which Spastic Fantastic Records call a bubblegum Killed By Death smasher combining elements of Devo, Jay Reatard and Frank Zappa. You can find the vinyl here : http://www.spasticfantastic.de/catalog/dadar-sick-of-pasta-7-p-3175.html?language=en
This blog started at the end of 2013 when I was still on holiday from work, Christmas was over and I was bored so decided to see if I could suss out how to make a blog to collect together a bunch of cool videos. Just so it didn't resemble Youtube too much I thought I'd better write a couple of lines saying what the songs were. I'm still doing it.
The first song to feature was I'll Be Gone by The Oblivians and this was followed the next day by Radioactivity with Alright. Day 3, 1st Jan 2014, saw me post Dissatisfactions by Onsind (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-buzzcocks-once-wrote-song-called.html ) No one knew about the blog back then and even now, nearly 4 years later, only 20 people have viewed the page. Considerably more will view the song I'm posting by them today.
There must be something about the north east accent that attracts me, Bear Trade's Silent Unspeakable will quite probably end up being my favourite album of 2017. No Ditching were a band I adored (I'm gutted they appear to be no more) and Martha are one of the UK's best bands. As they share members with Martha and No Ditching, it's no surprise that Onsind (One Night Stand In North Dakota) are pretty wonderful themselves.
It's also no surprise that a band who's name is a reference to the lack of adequate abortion facilities in some areas of the USA write songs that are intelligent and hard hitting but they wrap these iron fisted missives in velvet gloves. The best protest songs are the ones that sucker you in with a catchy tune, letting the message slowly seep into your brain as you hum along. Onsind have been doing this for a decade now and you can find their music name your price here : https://onsind.bandcamp.com/
With a line up of Nathan Stephens Griffin, Daniel Ellis, Naomi Griffin, Jason Cavalier and Claire Swift, they'll be releasing their new album, We Wilt, We Bloom, next month on Specialist Subject and Salinas Records. A tour will coincide and you can find details here : https://www.facebook.com/onsind/
To whet your appetite, here's their new video for a song called Immature. You can also get it name your price on Bandcamp with all money donated going to Savage Collective ("The salvage collective aims to brings together women (cis, trans & intersex), trans & non-binary survivors & activists who experience gender oppression, violence and abuse in UK activist communities to nurture activist cultures of care, accountability & safety.
We aim to provide a network to share experiences, resources, skills and build communities of belief, support and action." )
My neighbour told me a story, About a kid who bought a house aged twenty one, I said "you're winding me up just for fun" He said "it's true! By the way, your rent's due, son" "But that seems so unfair" He said "if you tried really hard you could get there, But your generation's so immature, you want it all on a plate, you want it all on a plate, you want it all..."
Do I sound like a teenager, When I say that you've infantilised our rage, When I say I want to put my self in danger, Do I sound immature?
Yeah we're still living in our parents' basements, Or renting foul accomadation from our baby boomer mates, And god forbid you take a selfie or you're hated, By a generation raised in a welfare state, They say we're all so self-obsessed, So lazy, so work-shy, and all the rest, It's seems to me the one thing that unites my friends is that we all just wanna fucking die.
Do I sound like a teenager, When I say that you've infantilised our rage, When I say I want to put my self in danger, Do I sound immature?
Back in the early days of Just Some Punk Songs (when I usually made these introductions just the one short paragraph) I featured a band who's members were spread around the world (LA, Munich, London and Berlin) and whom had previously been or still are in groups such as The Briefs, Clorox Girls, Maniac, Ripchord, Radio Dead Ones, L.A. Drugz and Red Dons. http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/suspect-parts-change-your-mind.html
The band are Suspect Parts and they line up with Justin Maurer (guitar/vocals), James Sullivan (guitar/vocals), Chris Brief (drums) and Andru Bourbon (bass). They combine 60's pop tunes with elements of power pop, garage rock and golden era punk to produce something that's modern sounding, despite it's retro roots, and very catchy indeed.
They recently released their debut self titled album on Taken By Surprise Records (Europe) and Oops Baby Records (the U.S.). They'll no doubt be playing songs from it on their European tour which starts on the 26th October (check for dates here : https://www.facebook.com/SuspectParts/).
The song featured below is not only timely, it's also very good and is a great introduction to an album that's full of ear worms. This is Madmen With Guns....
Forming in New Mills, Derbyshire in 2011 Epic Problem first appeared on here a couple of years ago with a song called Petrol Blue. They return today with a track from their new ep, False Hopes. The ep contains 3 originals plus a cover of The GC5's After All. It's available now on Brassneck Records on clear vinyl or you can download it here : https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/false-hopes-ep
The songs are as you'd expect, top quality straight up punk with gruff vocals and catchy tunes. Various mishaps and hospitilizations might have slowed them down this year but they're battling on through the problems.
Paul Carter plays straight up acoustic punk dittys about real life. A veteran of several bands he's been performing solo since 1998, touring frequently and he's released several cds containing songs about everyday things such as getting wasted in Morecambe, how football is now just a money grabbing big business and the X Factor ("if you're good looking and you've got big tits you can sell 1000 cds a day"). Imagine if Mike Harding had been born in Halifax and had been influenced by The Adverts rather than Lonnie Donegan.
The best comedy is basically an exaggerated version of the truth and I think we can all sympathise with Paul on this song. This Computer's Fucking Shit....
With Halloween on the horizon it's now a good time to record a few creepy songs and as fans of New Orleans power pop kings Vista Blue will know, they're always more than happy to produce catchy horror themed tunes. Fresh from their split ep with The Zambonis about curling, they've not given the grass time to grow on top of the burial plot before returning with spooky new ep, Scary Songs To Sing In The Dark. The ep features 6 new songs inspired by the book series of the same name which deals with various urban legends. One of the songs, I Shouldn't Be So Scared, will also feature in the movie Irrational Fear which is coming soon from Slasher Studios. There's also an accompanying zine which you can find details on when you snap up the ep name your price on Bandcamp.... https://wearevistablue.bandcamp.com/album/scary-songs-to-sing-in-the-dark
If you're a collecter of vinyl, you can order Vista Blue's debut 12". It's titled Seasons and features 20 tracks culled from several of their digital eps and as a bonus they'll chuck in a cd of their Good Eye album and a d/l code for a new digital acoustic ep. It's available in various colours from Something To Do Records : http://radiantradish.storenvy.com/products/21454424-vista-blue-seasons-12-inch-blue-vinyl
It was once a fad amongst New Yorkers vacationing in Florida to bring back cute baby Alligators for their kids. Obviously once those cute babies began to grow up it wasn't really feasible to keep them, so many were flushed down the loo. Some of them survived and indeed thrived in the sewer systems beneath the city, several mutating into giant albino alligators who are occasionally stumbled upon by sewer workers.
Vista Blue have given this urban legend an upbeat Shadows type backing track that's pretty damn snappy. This is Gators In The Sewer!.....
Glasgow indie pop punx The Spook School return to Just Some Punk Songs today with a song from their upcoming 3rd album, Could It Be Different? The album will be released in January on Alcopop! (Slumberland in the States). If you're as of yet unfamiliar with the band, you can check out their previous releases here : https://thespookschool.bandcamp.com/
They've been together since 2012 and play the kind of feel good sounding indie music that whilst appearing all upbeat and fun features lyrics that address more serious themes such as sexuality, equality and in the case of the song you'll find below, abusive relationships. It's music to engage both your feet and your mind.
A few months back I featured a new single by The Hipshakes. They're the long running garage pop/punk band from Bakewell (now based in Manchester) featuring Andrew Anderson (guitar/vocals), Daniel Russell (guitar/vocals), Bruce Sargent (drums/vocals) and Ben Russell (bass/vocals). You may have heard me playing songs on recent Just Some Punk Songs shows by a couple of other bands which feature Andrew Anderson. Freak Genes having already released one of the best albums of 2017 and Proto Idiot who's upcoming album Leisure Opportunty is also a winner and which will feature on here sometime around it's November 3rd release date.
Back to today's song, it's another new single from The Hipshakes. This time around it's out on Falmouth based Nerve Centre Records who describe it as being akin to the euphoric late 70's sound produced by legendary post punkers Wire. It was produced by Ben Woods and Sam Stacpoole (Black Tambourines, Holiday Ghost) and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Supression Ring). The person behind the label is Charlie Murphy who is also a member of Freak Genes, check out their releases (including The Hipshakes' single) here : https://nervecentrerecords.bandcamp.com/
The Hipshakes are currently touring America along with Proto Idiot so hopefully some of you will ave taken the opportunity to catch them live (dates are on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/thehipshakes/).
After promising to make this song today's update I notice Josh has just posted his review on his excellent Faster And Louder blog but not to worry, my updates are basically introductions to the music whilst he does proper reviews so I'd recommend you check out what he has to say about the single (I've avoided looking till I finish writing this but will be heading over there now) : http://fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.co.uk/
A Top 10 for you today selected by Victoria Smith who is the bassist with all girl Ramones tribute band The Ramonas. They call themelves a Ramones tribute band but I think they've moved on beyond that tag now as their new album, First World Problems, is made up of original material. You can get it here : http://ramonas.bigcartel.com/product/first-world-problems-album
From Brighton, Victoria is one of the UK's top female bassists and has performed and toured for over 15 years. She kindly chose her 10 favourite songs for your enjoyment.....
On yesterday's Just Some Punk Songs show I played a great song by The Chats called Nazi March (show saved here if anyone wants it : (https://www.mixcloud.com/mick-fletcher/just-some-punk-songs-31017/) and the response of the regulars in the chatroom confirmed that it should be shared with a wider audience on here, so today I did a Youtube search for it. No joy unfortunately (not that that would usually matter as I'd probably just stick it on there myself and hope the band didn't mind!) but not to worry, there's just been an official video posted for another song from the same ep so we're gonna go with that....
The Chats are a shed rock band (I assume they haven't got a garage) from Australia's Sunshine Coast. They play a sloppy, couldn't give a fuck sounding brand of punk that's really rather excellent. They remind me a bit of one of my favourite UK bands, Suburban Homes. It's pretty basic stuff, quite humerous and works for me.
If you check out their Bandcamp page you'll find last year's 7 track debut S/T ep plus the new ep which came out in July and is titled Get This In Ya. You can pick up these slacker anthems name your price..... https://thechatslovebeer.bandcamp.com/
Bad Boyfriends are from Little Rock in Arkansas and line up with Bobby Britches (vocals), Clamity Shane (bass), Valentino Bold (guitar) and Zooko (drums). Their brand of garage punk has seen them compared to The Stooges and they've a bunch of songs available name your price over on Bandcamp : https://badboyfriends.bandcamp.com/.
The lead track from the single was originally recorded in 2015 and is well deserving of it's elevation to vinyl. It's a brief, rocking slab of punk n roll goodness that'll get your adrenaline surging. This is Cut In Line.....
Scandal are the Romanian punk band that last year relocated to London and became active again after a 6 year hiatus. They featured on here in April with a song from their Street Punk ep (you can find it name your price here : https://scandalstreetpunk.bandcamp.com/releases).
Since then they've been busy recording a new album with top sound engineer Pat Collier (who was the original bassist with The Vibrators). It's titled On A Roll and Scandal bassist Vlad tells me it'll be out in February on Spirit Of The Streets Records.
Just to whet your appetite the band have released a video for one of the albums 10 songs. They've been compared to bands like Booze & Glory, Perkele and Evil Conduct and certainly deserve those comparisons. This is called Always.....
"Always look both ways
Its a two way traffic ,night or day
Always look around
Or they will put you down they'll put you in the ground
You have to understand
They dont care about you
There are a lots of cunts outhere
They really want to hurt you
They drag you down
They push you up
They want your life
They steal your luck
You are the only one
To choose whats right or wrong
Be careful where you step
Be proud and be strong
Don't follow anyone
Don't sell your soul for chips
Like Sucker used to say
"There's fuckers everywhere"
I've been putting together a playlist for next Tuesday's Just Some Punk Songs show (https://www.facebook.com/events/1972702459679478/ you're all invited) and one of the tracks I stumbled across was by a band from the east of England called Eat Dirt. Checking out their Facebook page I notice they like, and indeed recently supported Pears, which is unsurprising as I was thinking they reminded me a bit of them. Their Facebook profile also describes them as being angry at stuff and being interested in shouting and loud guitars. That seems to sum them up pretty accurately. Fortunately they're pretty catchy too.
They formed in 2016 and feature "members of other bands." Who those members are seems to be a mystery. In May they released their debut self titled ep, it contains 4 tracks and it's available here : https://eatdirtpunk.com/
The songs are short, powerful and pissed off, this one's about people like Teresa May who are trying to fuck us over and it's called Pigs.....
Back when tigers used to smoke, All This knavery had become a joke
Too many chefs are spoiling the broth
Too many pigs feeding from the troth
There has to be a better way
what direction should we take
The Left and right are becoming blurred
So lets rise up and let's be heard
Well live on your feet, don't die on your knees,
It's the next battle that will define me,
And before too many chefs are spoiling the broth
And too many pigs are feeding from the troth
There has to be a better way
what direction should we take
The Left and right are becoming blurred
So lets rise up and let's be heard
Too many cooks, are killing all the pigs
Too many cooks, are killing all the pigs
