Fronted by Emily Condon (vocals/guitar/uke/sax) they give off "raw, angry punk vibes" and are sure to go dow a storm with anyone who reads this blog. The album is 11 tracks of boisterous, catchy punk tunage. Song titles include the impressively titled Shut Up And Have A Wank and the critique of the current fashion for the mainstream to value style over substance when it comes to music (Popstar). You can get more info on the band here : https://www.facebook.com/thefleas1/
This is the 2nd track on the album, it's about all those time wasting nusiance calls we all have to put up with from time to time. The Phone Call...
From Derbyshire, Apocalypse Babys have been playing punk rock to punk rockers since 1990. A labour of love for frontman and song writer Dave Moran, they've endured the ups and dows of the punk scene and have just released their 10th studio album. Titled Wrong Side Of The Law, it's available from Vinyl Vera Records or from the band direct. 13 tracks of "fast and furious punk rock with the band's trademark melodic edge."
They've released a video for one of the new songs. Often when you read about Apocalypse Babys you'll come across comparisons with Stiff Little Fingers, this time around however Motorhead appear to have been more of an influence. The riffs are that little bit heavier, the vocals are more Lemmy than Jake Burns. Luckily it's catch as hell. Almost 30 years down the line and this is the sound of a band still rocking out, this is Kill Or Die...
Back in July I posted a guest review from No Agenda frontman Stef Holden in which he introduced us to new Lancashire band The Sentence and waxed lyrical about their very promising first song Bored Teenager (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-sentence-boredteenager-guest-review.html). Yesterday my letterbox rattled and it was the postman delivering a slim package which turned out to be the band's impressive debut 7 track cd (cheers guys) and I'll be sharing a track from it today.
The band are a 5 piece featuring Spike (bass), Ged (drums), Steve (guitar), Watty (vocals) and Andy (guitar). They call themselves an alternative d.i.y. punk band, to me they conjure up memories of the early 80's bringing to mind the kind of superior fare that Bristol label Riot City Records would have helped achieve a place in the indie charts. The cd is titled Strong Arm Of The Law and the cover dredges up recollections of some of the classic sleeves from that era. I could imagine the 4 Skins, The Partisans or maybe the Upstarts singing their anti police classics and not being a million miles away from the song you'll find below. I said back in the summer I was looking forward to hearing more from The Sentence and they haven't disappointed.
The songs on the cd take aim at the usual deserving targets, lying politicians, war, modern society, dysfunctional families etc. You can get it direct from the band : https://www.facebook.com/northwestpunkband/
They're not reinventing the wheel, there's no bells and whistles, just good old fashioned punk rock like they used to do back in the day. It's good stuff that will go down well with old timers lke myself and with scene newcomers. This song is called Running Away From Police...
There's been a few records released over the Christmas period, this is a song from one of them. It's taken from the album Gree! which is a collection of songs recorded by Grim Deeds between April and December, it's made up of 13 originals and a very decent cover of Motorhead's R.A.M.O.N.E.S. and you can get it on cd or digitally from Outloud! Records or from Grim's Bandcamp page :
Grim gets his inspiration for his songs from life, mostly in the form of "extremely negative emotions and impossible situations." Don't expect all doom and gloom though as he adds a comedic spin to many of them.
As well as recording music, Grim has also been keeping busy adding interviews to his blog. If you want to read his conversations with his favourite songwriters, the likes of Andrea Manges, Rickie Rochelle, Kevin Aper, Mikey Erg, Dan Vapid, Joe Queer, Kody Templeman, Doctor Frank, Kepi Ghoulie, Ben Weasel etc, go here : https://grimdeeds.blogspot.com/
This song opens the album and it's about those places that time left behind, where the status quo is deeply engrained and everything there is pretty depressing. I'm sure you all know somewhere like it. Fuck this place! This is Shithole Town....
Another new single from Romania relocated to London street punks Scandal today. This time around they add a pinch of ska and reggae to the proceedings to cook up a very tasty concoction. The video you'll see below was filmed in Romania on their Payback Days tour last month.
2019 promises to be busy with plenty of touring, as well as gigs in Europe, including Germany, they'll also be playing the Undercover Festival at The Dome London (April) brfore July sees them at the Obscene Extreme Festival (Trutnov, Czech Republic) and the Exit Festival (Novi-Sad, Serbia). There'll be a new ep in the spring. You can get more details here : https://www.facebook.com/scandalstreetpunk/
The new single is about growing older, having no regrets about your vices but realising that eventually things will have to change. Bittersweet but it'll get the audiences bouncing around and singing along. This is Broken Down Dreams. It's the sound of a band at the top of their game. I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, I HAVE TO GO TO WORK SKA TUNE IN MY EARS, I MIX MY COFFEE WITH RUM ON MY WAY TO THE WORKSITE, TEN FAGS AT LEAST PUNK ROCK IN MY HEAD, I’LL DRINK A COUPLE OF BEERS
LUNCH TIME WITH THE LADS WE ALL NEED SOME REFRESHMENTS WE GET SOME BLOW AND WEED
NOW THE WORK IS OVER
I HEAD DOWN TO THE PUB, PUNK ROCK IN THE JUKEBOX
CHORUS
TOO MANY VICES TOO MANY DRINKS TOO MANY DRUGS TOO MANY DREAMS TOO MANY VICES TOO MANY DRINKS TOO MANY FIGHTS AND BROKEN DREAMS
BEER AFTER BEER, SHOTS AFTER SHOTS I ́M SO EXCITED, I ́M WAITING FOR THE GIRL
A SHAG INTO THE RESTROOM, I ́M FUCKING DRUNK AND HIGH MY HEAD IS SPINNING, I FELL I ́VE LOST CONTROL
I GOT INTO A FIGHT, I DON ́T KNOW WHAT TO DO MY MIND IS PLAYING TRICKS ON ME
THE FLOOR IS WET AND COLD, THERE ́S BARS BEHIND THIS DOOR
I ́LL QUIT EVERYTHING FOR SURE
YEARS ARE PASSING BY, I HAVE NO REGRETS
FOR THE THINGS THAT I ́VE DONE AND SAID
ALL THE THINGS MUST COME, MUST COME TO AN END
THINGS I WILL NEVER FORGET
Pizzatramp were on here 18 months ago loudly complaining about having a bad back and they also featured last October with their split 5" ep with Domestics, today they return with a new single that's going to be on their upcoming album, Grand Relapse. One of 2019's most anticipated releases, it'll be out in the spring on TNS Records.
Hailing from Caldicot, South Wales, they're a noisy as fuck 3 piece featuring Sammy Two Cabs (bass/growling), Jimmy No Whammy (guitar/howling) and Danny Bang Bang (fast drums). You can check out their music here : https://pizzatramp.bandcamp.com/
Get more info, check out live dates and read interviews where they come across as the drunkest and most chaotic band in Britain here : https://www.facebook.com/Pizzatrampuk/
The video for the new single was posted online yesterday and it bodes well for the album. A fast paced look at the plight of those that dress in black and avoid the sun during the summer heatwave.... "Robert Smith's gone to Iceland" (that's the shop not the country, overseas readers) and I'm pretty sure I heard Helana Bonham Carter get a mention too. Play Loud, this is Millions Of Dead Goths...
All that's left for me to do now is thank you for checking out Just Some Punk Songs and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Today's song eschews the the traditional mawkish sentimental bollocks usually associated with the festive season in favour of something much more delightful. This is Silent Night, Deadly Night...
"Spice Pistols are 5 hot nasty bitches in their 40's and 50's with 5 O clock shadows that destroy razors. All experienced musicians looking to wreak havoc on your local stage. We don't wanna admit we actually like Spice Girls songs so we play em the way Sid Vicious, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Johnny Rotten would have. With gristly passion that'll satisfy both the man and woman in you!!!"
If someone asked you to name a couple of iconic English bands from the last 40 odd years there's a few names you could come up with, with the Sex Pistols and Spice Girls probably deserving of a mention even though they're from completely different musical genres. Today's update sees them mentioned in the same breath as I'm featuring a song by San Diego outfit Spice Pistols.
They play Spice Girls songs in the style of the Sex Pistols and they do Sex Pistols songs faster and harder than the originals. They also perform their own compositions written from the mindset of both bands. Did I mention they perform in drag?
There's plenty of tribute acts out there but probably none quite like this. Don't be fooled into thinking they're solely in it for laughs though, the members of the band have been around the block and are talented musicians. Also, as bassist Hairy Scary Spice (Sppike Mike Muellenberg) tells me when chatting about the video you'll find below, "That's Rikk Agnew of Adolescents sitting in with us. He recorded guitars on another version of this song that Dave Klein of Agent Orange produced." He also tells me the band are looking to put together a tour over in the UK so if anyone can help them out with gigs or contacts please get in touch on their Facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/spicepistols/ If a Spice Girls/Sex Pistols hybrid is going to go down well with anyone it should be with UK audiences.
They formed in 2016 and earlier this year they released the 7 track album Life's A Drag. Expect songs like God Save The Queens and Wannabe but there's also this original number and title track, Life's A Drag...
After yesterday's song by Liverpool kitchencore band Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies, today you're getting a Top 10 chosen by frontman Pete Bentham. Many thanks Pete, over to you...
My Top Ten Punk Songs :
The arrival of Punk Rock to me was kids remembering what rock & roll was supposed to be about - No need to have lots of technical ability, have fun making your own rules - freedom to be who you want and do what you want, after the dreary corporate prog rock era. Therefore to me things that come before the punk explosion of 76/77 but share those values, count as punk. Probably the people who see punk as a uniform will disagree, but I won't join you down the Conservative Club thanks. So this is my top ten punk tunes (This week anyway)...
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen (1963)
There's been a thousand covers of this including Motorhead, Toots & the Maytals and Iggy Pop, but this is the original hit. The Kingsmen were a garage band who made this cover of a 1955 R&B song for just $50. Considered subversive at the time, the lyrics investigated by the FBI. How many punk tunes took from this riff? Clash City Rockers. A Bomb in Wardour Street etc..
Lucifer Sam - Syd's Pink Floyd (1967)
Syd Barrett led the psychedelic pioneers for just one album before succumbing to personality disorders, made worse by his acid intake, which left the rest of the band free to become prog giants and the epitome of everything detested by punks. But the early recordings with Syd are a big influence on many of us interested in the more exerimental end of punk who think that Syd was maybe more punk than Sid.
Roadrunner - Modern Lovers (1976)
Like Syd Barrett, Jonathan Richman has a very simple child-like quality in his writing which is very inspirational. It was hearing him that made me realise it's OK to write about anything you like...Cats & Dogs, Lorry Drivers or whatever. The seminal album was recorded with John Cale from the Velvets in 1972 but not considered fit for human consumption in the era of concept albums and stadium rock. When it was finally released in 1976, it was a major influence on all the main punk players.
New Rose - The Damned (1976)
Released in October 1976, this is considered to be the first ever British punk single. Like a lot of frustrated kids at the time, in the pre-punk era, they were into the proto-punk bands like the MC5, New York Dolls and The Stooges and you can really hear those influences. This was recorded in a tiny 8 track studio by Nick Lowe, who perfectly captured their raw sound. In my opinion, their debut album is one of the wildest and greatest rock & roll albums of any era.
Plastic Bag - X Ray Spex (1977)
Poly Styrene is the ultimate punk hero for me. She is one of those people like Joey Ramone and Ian Dury, who would never have been a pop star if it wasn't for punk's all inclusive DIY attitude. She had the whole visual concept and everything totally worked out and her lyrics were way head of her time, with songs about consumerism, celebrity culture etc, that are just as relevant today. Probably why the Dinner Ladies have a sax player.
Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill (1993)
Kathleen Hanna and the rest of the Riot Grrrl movement were really carrying the torch on from bands like X Ray Spex, The Slits etc. That movement really had a massive, positive influence on the DIY punk scene as a whole and some of my favourite bands now have the same attitude and sound, such as Bratakus, Ill, Piss Kitti, The Twistettes.
Touch Sensitive - The Fall (1999)
I know a lot of people are totally baffled by the appeal of The Fall, whereas the band can easily become an obsession for those of us that 'get it'. I think that people are disappointed by them because they are expecting a rock band in the traditional sense. But that's the opposite of what he was trying to do. His influences were krautrock and 60s garage bands like The Monks so the power of the band comes from the repetitive nature of the music and his unique lyrics that came from a mind that just looked at the world differently to anybody elses. A proper genius.
Downloading Porn with Davo - Moldy Peaches (2001)
These made one proper album that was mostly recorded in their New York apartment. It is utterly shambolic but has some of the greatest pop songs you will ever hear on it. The freedom and simplicity makes you feel like you want to pick up your guitar and write something. This made such an impression on me when it came out and is one of my favourite records of all time. It's totally punk rock in every way, even though it's mostly acoustic.
Twistettes - Suck It, Fake It (2016)
There are so many great bands around at the moment and these are one of my favourites. Two girls from Glasgow on just drums and bass, with a dead raw stripped back sound, singing about stuff they believe in. What's not to like? I'm old enough to have been around pretty early in the punk era but I'm honestly not arsed about looking back. There are too many good bands now to go and see.
Am I Invisible Yet? - Interrobang!? (2018)
We played just before these at Another Winter of Discontent festival and we were all mesmerised by their songs and the performance. It proves you can be a punk band and still do something interesting and intelligent. Probably my favourite band at the moment and we are now mates with them after putting them on in Liverpool, which is obviously one of the great things about the punk scene in general.
Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies are a kitchencore band from Liverpool who are influenced by the likes of The Cramps, Velvet Underground, Devo, X Ray Spex etc (if you come back tomorrow you'll see more influences when frontman Pete selects his 10 favourite punk songs). Backing Pete are The Dinner Ladies, they're named after Pete's mum who was a dinner lady (wounded in action at Oakfield School, Widnes, 1968).
A rock n roll extravaganza, they've released 3 full lengths, Hip Potater (2010), The New Underground (2011) and I Love Here (2013) https://petebenthamandthedinnerladies.bandcamp.com/ . I've not managed to catch them live yet though I'm going to try and rectify that next year. I'm guessing they'll be great fun. For more info on the band check here : https://www.facebook.com/dinnerladiesliverpool/
Inventive and humerous as well as rocking, I'm tempted to call them punk rock cabaret but I think that may do them an injustice as the music definitely stands on it's own two feet, all the fun is just an added bonus. If you're looking for something with the energy of punk rock but with added quirkiness you'll probably already be familiar with them, if you aren't the comp is a great starting off point. Taken from it, this is The Che Guevara Thing...
So it's the time of the year when I attempt to shoehorn my favourite songs from the last 12 months into something resembling a chart. An impossible task given that punk is very much still alive and kicking (not that the mainstream acknowledges it). There were so many great releases during 2018 that even this Top 50 is barely scratching the surface. If your band didn't make the cut, I'm only a (currently) unemployed 54 year old talentless nobody in Chorley so who gives a fuck what I think. If you did make the cut, congratulations and please feel free to share the chart around as hopefully your fans will discover other bands that they'll come to love as much as they love you. That's the sole purpose of this blog.... a bloke (me) shouting "check this music out, it's good!"
My Top 10 is pretty much my Top 10, the other 40 could easily have been in different positions if I'd have done this chart on a different day. You may have heard most of the bands and songs but if there's any you're unfamiliar with, check them out, their well worth it.
Without any further ado....
50) REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN - Planet Earth 11
49) RASH DECISION - Medium Raw
48) RADON - Just Wanna Play Guitar
47) GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY - Misery-Punk Ruined My Life
46) YOUTH AVOIDERS - Face Up To It
45) DOWN AND OUTS - You Can Have This Country Back
44) THE PROZACS - Outta My Face
43) HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT - Knobheads On Quizshows
42) BRYONY BEYNON - Black Cardigans
41) BABYS BLOOD - Everyone Looks Like A Fucking Idiot
40) BAMBOO VIPERS - Silver Boots
39) ARCH RIVALS - Once A Soldier
38) PROBLEM CHILD - Bad Feeling
37) NO PROBLEM - No Justice No Peace
36) INCISIONS - Deny
35) DWARVES - Heres Looking At You
34) DREAM NAILS - Fascism Is Coming
33) GIRLS IN SYNTHESIS - Fan The Flames
32) VISTA BLUE - Why Doesn't Jimmy Want To Play
31) LES LULLIES - Night Klub
30) REACTION - Valerie Solanas And Me
29) SURFBORT Selfie
28) THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING - Baby Farmer
27) UBIK - Sleep
26) CITY MILES - Away Day
25) INTERROBANG? - Do You Remember
24) BB AND THE BLIPS - Lucky Country
23) JEEZ LOUISE - Yr A Rat Mrs. Chewy
22) LOUIS LINGG AND THE BOMBS - Sheena Is Too Old
21) SLOW FACTION - The Breitbart Boys
20) MATERIAL SUPPORT - Terror Prone Nation
19) CONSTANT MONGREL - 600 Pounds
18) NATTERERS - Not Long Left Now
17) NEIGHBORHOOD BRATS - Down 3rd
16) GINO AND THE GOONS - She Was Crushed
15) IDLES - Danny Nedelko
14) BIKINI COPS - Total Control
13) THE SCUMBRIANS - Stop The World
12) THE FALLOUT - Raise Your Flag
11) NIGHT BIRDS - Radium Girls
10) WERECATS - Astbury
9) AUTONOMADS - Run Like A Girl
8) THE CAVEMEN - Janey
7) TOMMY AND THE COMMIES - Permanant Fixture
5) CASTRO - Personal Question
5) WILD ANIMALS - Interrupted Girl
4) COLD MEAT - Lazy Anarchy
3) HANK WOOD AND THE HAMMERHEADS - How'm I Supposed To Wake Up In The Morning
Christmas Songs. They're crap right? Generally I run a mile when someone even mentions them. But like with pretty much everything, there are exceptions to the rule. I'm posting one of those exceptions today.
The Darts are a garage-psych-rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, who's Me.Ow. album caught my attention last year and who's Subsonic Dream/Bullet single from earlier this year was pretty damn impressive too. They also rereleased their 2016 Self Titled debut album. You can check out their music here : https://thedartsus.bandcamp.com/
The line up of the band is Nicole Laurenne (organ/vocals), Christina Nunez (bass/vocals), Rikki Styxx (drums/vocals) and Meliza Jackson (guitars/vocals). They've a new album in the pipeline, their 3rd, it's been recorded and is having the finishing touches applied (keep up to date on it's progress : https://www.facebook.com/thedartsUS/) but one song which won't feature on it is the track they've contributed to the Something Shocking From The Stocking! ompilation. Rather oddly, despite it being a Christmas song, it's one of my favourites from them thus far. You can check out the comp here : https://somethingshockingfromthestocking.bandcamp.com/album/something-shocking-from-the-stocking
A sub 2 minute rock n roll romp, this is an infectious cover of a song by Wild Billy Childish And The Musicians Of The British Empire (it was on the Christmas 1979 album and you can hear it here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ypQpG6DJm0). It's called Mistletoe...
On yesterday's update I was lamenting the lack of new music this year from Madrid band Accidente (http://accidentepunk.blogspot.com/). It didn't take long before I was told that though I was right about Accidente, there was a new band from Madrid called Antidoto who featured some of the same members and who'd self released a very good album a few months ago. They feature today.
The band have a little more of a hardcore edge than Accidente, their influences include the likes of Government Warning, Career Suicide and Youth Avoiders and their line up features Sally (vocals), Mikel (guitar), Diego (bass), Isra (guitar) and Pablo (drums). As well as members from Accidente there's also some from Perras Salvajes and La Mirada Del Tigre.
Hard hitting and with an attitude akin to a victorious bull staring down a baying mob (check out the cover), the album is well worth your time. This song is called Perdedor (Loser)....
Tipex are a 3 piece from Valencia who's line up features Maria (guitar/vocals), Oscar (bass) and Ximo (drums). Earlier this year they released a self titled album that's being spoken of by some as one of the best of 2018. It's name your price on Bandcamp so if you haven't yet heard it click the link and see what you think : https://tipex.bandcamp.com/album/tipex
It's been a great year for punk music with a glut of great releases, one disappointment though was the lack of new music by Madrid band Accidente. Their Pulso album was a highlight of 2016 (La Revuelta Real taking the top spot in the Just Some Punk Songs songs of the year chart). Tipex; female vocals, urgent guitars, Spanish lyrics and abrasively catchy tunes are a damn good alternative though.
Here's a song that everyone who was listening in the chatroom on last night's Just Some Punk Songs show seemed to love. It's by Philadelphia post-punk 4 piece DEEP TISSUE and it's taken from their recent self titled ep.
The band feature Lauren (vocals), Shaun (guitar), Brendan (bass) and Adam (drums) and the ep will be getting a physical release in January via Sydney, Australia, label Disinfect Records. It'll be limited to 100 copies so if you want one don't hang around. Digitally it's available here : https://deeptissue666.bandcamp.com/album/deep-tissue
I can't find any more info on them so I'll just get on with the posting of a song. This is called In Despair....
What's on The Just Some Punk Songs show later today is a question you're probably not asking yourselves but I'll tell you anyway. It's the usual hour's worth of killer new releases all linked together by my dull northern monotone. Definitely worth having a listen to if you enjoy discovering new punk music : https://www.facebook.com/events/309536543016973/ The song you'll find at the bottom of this update will feature.
Th' Losin Streaks call themselves Sacramento's lovable sixties garage punk ruffians. 14 years after the release of their debut album Sounds Of Violence (and 8 years after they split up) they've regrouped and have triumphantly returned with album number 2. It's titled This Band Will Self Destruct In T-Minus and it's available now on vinyl on the always reliable Slovenly Recordings : https://slovenly.com/store/th-losin-streaks-this-band-will-self-destruct-in-t-minus-lp.html
The album is a timeless classic, a 60's thrownback with punk attitude. It's been a long time coming but it's been well worth the wait. It's the kind of music that demands to be played loud and that will probably be best appreciated as you're bouncing off the walls of a sweaty club. This is the title track, a reference to the often precarious state of the group, it's called (This Man Will Self Destruct In) T-Minus...
A brand new UK Oi band today, they're so new that as of yet there appears to be no photos and pretty much no info to share with you. They've just put up a Facebook page and shared their first track. https://www.facebook.com/deadlegionsuk/
The're called Dead Legions and they feature guitarist/vocalist Tom Boutwood who you may know from bands like Arch Rivals, Hostile Minds and Hard Wax (there'll be a new song by Hard Wax on tomorrow's Just Some Punk Songs show : https://www.facebook.com/events/309536543016973/). Alongside him in this new project are Phillip Anthony (Back From The Dead) (bass) and Paul Bond (Stand At Arms) (drums).
Tom says he's been waiting to get this finished for ages and rates it as one of his favourites of all the songs he's written. More are on the way so watch out for those. Burning skies, cities on fire.....soldiers lost, in the mist, left to die alone. A song about the sacrifice of youth during the horrors of war, this is called Over Land And Sea...
Another song with a big booming singalong chorus today as Poole punk 5 piece The Mistakes return to Just Some Punk Songs. Having previously featured with the songs Never Be Quiet (the song that shares a name with their record company), Democracy and Quitters Get Nothing, regular visitors will already know that the band have a knack of penning catchy but powerful street punk anthems. Fans of their balls to the wall music will be excited to hear there's a new album out today called Upstarts And Heretics. They've also a bunch of new merch available and you can get all details on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themistakesuk/ https://www.facebook.com/nbqrecords/
2018 was a busy year for the guys, as well as January's Anti Social Media album they gigged regularly (including making their debut at the Rebellion Festival, going down a storm and getting invited back for 2019) and paid a visit to Candy Bomber Studios in Berlin to record the new album with Ingo Krauss and Moses Schneider. All that gigging and working with the best people looks to have paid dividends going off the evidence of the video they've just released. Upstarts And Heretics is their first vinyl release and will be a perfect stocking filler.
To whet your appetites, this is Walk Tall...
Line em up,
And we’ll knock em down
Tell you right now so that we don’t have a problem
We won’t stop,
And we won’t back down
Gonna march right through you lame fucks territory
You’re burned out
We’re ascending
100 miles an hour like we only eat amphetamines
You got nothing
That can stop us now
Hasn’t been a wall built that we cannot just tear down
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Walk tall,
And smash your way though everything
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Walk tall,
And There ain’t a fight that you can’t win
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Walk tall,
And you’ll find out who’s your enemy
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Walk tall,
And stay the hell away from me
So many snides
So many charlatans
So many two faced snake oil salesmen
This is our shout
This is your reckoning
We’ll chase you out and you won’t come back again
Shield line,
We’re the warriors
Waves break but they’ll never ever break us
Crashing down
We’re victorious
Your day is done and the sunrise looks so glorious now
The Glory are an old school Oi band from Leicester who formed in 1985 with the intention of being a proper Oi band in the vein of Sham 69. Also influenced by the likes of Cock Sparrer, Cockney Rejects, Angelic Upstarts, Sex Pistols etc they released a split album with The Magnificent (1987's Skins 'N' Punks Volume 3) and their classic 1988 album We Are What We Are. Writers block and struggles finding venues that they could play led to them going on hiatus. An attempt to relocate to The US came to nothing and that was pretty much it.
Except it wasn't. They kept in touch, rehearsed occasionally, worked on a few new songs and then in 2010 got back to playing live with a tour of America's East Coast. Other gigs have followed, including their first UK show in 25 years (2016's Rebellion Festival) and now they're primed to release their first new songs in 30 years.
The line up of the band these days features a couple of original members. they still have the same powerful style they had back in the 80's and according to vocalist Mark Timson "This is the best line up to date, never had 1 argument ever." You can get more info here : https://www.facebook.com/theglory.oi.uk/
So, new music. Below you'll see a video for their first new song since the 1988. It'll also be the lead track on the new album. There'll be another video out in January (Mark claims it's his favourite song from the band so far) then another in Feb. Don't be surprised to see more following before the release of the album (hopefully June).
Influenced by the Michael Douglas movie of the same name from 1993 about a middle aged man dealing with unemployment and divorce who got into a series of violent encounters, This is a good old fashioned Oi singalong that whets the appetite for the album and it's called Falling Down...
Arctic Flowers are from Portland, Oregon, they formed in 2009 and play a mix of punk, post-punk and anarcho which coalesces into a darkly gothic delight. Their line up features Alex Carroccio (vocals), Lee Lawrence (bass), Cliff Martin (drums) and Stan Wright (guitar).
I'm wary of this kind of punk as for me too many of the bands concentrate too much on achieving atmosphere rather than making great tunes a priority but I have no problems at all with Arctic Flowers, they manage both delightfully dark atmospherics and the catchiness that seems to come deceptively easy to the best bands. You can find more info on them here : https://www.facebook.com/arcticflowerspdx/
A couple of weeks ago they released their new album, it's titled Straight To The Hunter and it's already turning up on various Best Of 2018 lists. As well as atmosphere and great songs it also crackles with ferocious energy. To me, this is how the genre should sound. It's available on vinyl and digitally and you can check it out here : https://arcticflowers.bandcamp.com/album/straight-to-the-hunter
I played this song to an appreciative chatroom on last night's Just Some Punk Songs show (the show will get saved to Mixcloud on Monday after going out on various stations in the US, Canada and Hong Kong) and am posting it here today. Straight out of the starting gate it barrels along, an oxymoron of upbeat gloom, it's called In Silence....
"If I keep heading down this road
I'll never know, I'll never know
If I should stay, or I should go
It's like Joe's question long ago
And if I stay will I remain
Become a tyrant or a slave
Running free, running away
I guess that they are both the same"
Kill The Masters are a 3 piece band from just down the road from me in Bolton who play a mix of punk, ska and post hardcore. Their line up features Oli BoBo (guitar/vocals), Sam Cummins (bass/vocals) and Rebecca Broughton (drums/harp).
The ep proves that they're equally adept at all the various styles they incorporate into their sound and this is evident on the 5 minute track that I've posted below. Starting off as a ska/reggae hybrid it soon switches up a gear before alternating that laid back style with powerful bursts of energetic punk. All in all a very promising statement of intent from a band that are beginning to make people sit up and take notice. I'll play a different song from the ep on Sunday's Just Some Punk Songs show but today you're getting Questions....
Active Slaughter are a hard hitting anarcho punk band from London who raise funds for "things that really matter." They believe in anti fascism, freedom for all, animal rights etc. They also believe in making one hell of a noise. They were active between 2001-2010 before calling it a day but got back together a couple of years ago.
Early 2019 will see them release their new album, Set The World Alight? Going off the evidence from the track they've teased us with it's going to be well worth watching out for. It'll be available on vinyl and digitally from Grow Your Own Records. If you check out the song at the bottom of this update and want to hear more ahead of the album's release you can check out several previous releases by them here : https://activeslaughter.bandcamp.com/
The band's summation of this song is "fuck organised religion!" If you like your music with bite, this one's for you. It's called Without Mercy...
Verse 1
The greatest lie ever told.
Religion is the evil in this world.
Unlimited riches, influence and power.
Growing in strength, the world they'll devour.
Inquisition at your door
Brainwashing you like you’re prisoner of war
Blasphemy and lighting will strike
They’ll hunt you down, put you your head on a spike.
Chorus
Oppression – Superstition
Division – Control
Illusion - Delusion
Retribution – and war
Verse 2
Living life by an ancient book.
Made to control to have you hooked.
I don't believe in your religion.
A kingdom of heaven or what was written.
You justify on blind faith,
Dying for your god, a fucking waste,
I see a coincidence, you see a sign,
Brainwashed to kill for the holy divine
A couple of week's ago on the show (https://www.mixcloud.com/mick-fletcher/just-some-punk-songs-271118/) I played a song from the new Surgery Without Research ep called Fight and it led Wayne Elliott to comment "I thought you'd play something by them." I guess that means they're a Just Some Punk Songs kinda band so it's about time they were featured on the blog.
From Kent, they formed in 2000, are influenced by the UK'82 English punk scene and currently line up with Andy H (vocals/guitar), Mark Spooner (guitar), Dave Booker (bass) and Nathan Antino (drums). Being honest, they've flown under my radar till recently and a look at Bandcamp suggests I've a hell of a lot of catching up to do :
As well as the expected (top notch anarcho protestation) there's also the unexpected (a cracking cover of the theme tune to classic kids tv show The Flashing Blade). This is the title track and given some of the imagery currently showing up on our tv screens it's unfortunately all too topical, it's called Thugs In Blue...
The prolific and very talented Drew Owen last appeared on here back in August as a member of Helsinki duo Baby's Blood (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/08/babys-blood-everybody-looks-like.html). I mentioned then that he was moving back to the States and that there was another Sick Thoughts album imminent. That album, the third Sick Thoughts long player, came out shortly afterwards and it features 12 catchy songs dripping in attitude, buzzsaw guitars and garage punk cool. It's a Self Titled affair and you can get the vinyl version from Goner Records http://www.goner-records.com/cart/ It's also available digitally here : https://sick-thoughts.bandcamp.com/album/sick-thoughts
2019 also promises to be a busy one for Drew as he's starting a tape club. Between January and June members will receive 6 tapes, a shirt and 6 pin buttons. For more details click here : https://ddowen.bigcartel.com/product/dd-owen-tape-club-2019 There's also going to be a West Coast tour.
This is one of the many highlights from the album, it's called Black Leather...
Perjury are a new band from Kent who's influences include the likes of Blitz, GBH, Motorhead etc. They were formed by bassist/backing vocalist Nick "Nobby" Emmerick (who appeared on here a couple of years ago with his other band Snide, https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2016/03/snide-hey-mr-joseph.html, and in the early 80's was a member of Allegiance To No One. He was also a member of Eric Faulkner's Bay City Rollers!) and guitarist/backing vocalist John Sharland (Unit 4, The Starving Artists, Violent Death, Terminal Crisis).
They fleshed out the band by recruiting drummer James Akehurst and vocalist Graham Saxby (who some of you may remember as the founder member of classic oi band The Last Resort and vocalist with UK street punks The Warriors).
Definitely not reinventing the wheel, Perjury are playing straight up punk rock. The songs are fast, catchy and have plenty of wallop. The demo is a great introduction so check it out. This is On The Run...
So it's that time of the week when I start putting together a playlist of more of the best new releases to play on the next Just Some Punk Songs show (Tuesday at 8pm UK time). One band that will definitely feature (with a different song to the one you'll find below) are Tulsa, Oklahoma, '77 influenced punks The Wheelz. They previously appeared on here back in 2014 with a rip roaring cover of The Partisans' So Neat (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-wheelz-so-neat.html) and they return today with a track from their excellent new album.
The album is titled Top 10 Super Hits! and it lives up to it's hyperbolic title. If you're a fan of bands like Blanks 77 and The Briefs you'll love this. It's available on various edition vinyl from Wanda Records : https://mailorder.wandarecords.de/
The album's fun, it's good old fashioned punk rock and you should all check it out. Catchy tunes, big singalong choruses, snotty vocals....what's not to like. This is called I'm So Tired Of Living In The USA...
Another review today of a band from his native Belgium by Dirk Ceustermans (aka Zaphod Beeblebrox). The band is called London Bullet and you can get more info on them here : https://www.facebook.com/LB9800/
I got this executive manager here down the office the other day. With an enthusiastic smile on his face he walked over towards my desk.
I knew this was not going to be a conversation about work, as I remembered he used to hang around the Piekerniet, a Youth Centre/pub in a small town called Deinze way back in the early 80s. He knows a couple old folk that I still see around too.
"Dirk, check this CD out, a mate of mine gave it me, his son's playing in this band"
"Mmm right, ok, cheers bud!". After another few hours of boring work, I get to the car and slip in the cd.
Crickey!
This is GREAT!
A new release (October 2018) from these boys from Ghent, called "Secrets from the Sewer" spewing out well crafted songs and clearly inspired by UK's 80 and 70's punk heroes but without being to much of a rip off band in that sense, I realised I was home without having paid any attention on the road at all.
Fastforward 3 weeks, I learnt not much more except that these kids have been busy for 8 years, are based in Ghent, although some are still from that town Deinze I guess and have been putting stuff on Bandcamp since 2011! It is funny that certain bands keep under the radar, but hey! there's so many bands around here nowadays that it happens.
Going through their works it is clear that this band evolved from good (really good at moments) to great, (really excellent in fact!)
Completely Zaphod approved!!!
No Surrender, No Retreat - the track I picked out for you is so amazing, you hear the UK82 influences boiling over, a very well crafted pièce d'art delivered in a top class production.
Ah yes, I see why:
The songs were recorded at Studio 195, owned by old chum Patrick Delabie. He can do magic!! He used to be in a band called the Scoundrels in the 80's, releasing 2 neat little LP's...
Plenty of superb productions he did for many Belgian bands.
Back to this track, if it were released in 1982, by a UK band this would be an immortal punk classic. But these little belgians can only hope for a little recognition in the era of digital overkill of punk music worldwide.
London Bullet's deffo a band I will look out for to see live, in the meantime, enjoy their stuff on Bandcamp, tell us what YOU think of it, I say...
Lil' Belgium's got talent!
NO SURRENDER NO RETREAT :
RUNNING DOWN THE STREETS
- yeah we're running down the streets
- we're out here dressed in black
- waiting for it to kick off
- yeah this city's under siege
NO SURRENDER NO RETREAT
pledged allegiance to the flag
prepared to take it in the grave
NO SURRENDER NO RETREAT
now the colours turned to grey
but pride & passion will always stay
we're marching down your city's streets
with pride & passion and violent greed
RUNNING DOWN THE STREETS
- yeah we're running down the streets
- we're out here dressed in black
- waiting for it to kick off
- yeah this city's under siege
NO SURRENDER NO RETREAT
tonight the streets are ours
this city's under siege
NO SURRENDER NO RETREAT
from Secrets Of The Sewer, released October 11, 2018
Bad Mojos are the Spits influenced lo-fi garage punks from Bern, Switzerland, who formed in 2015 and who've appeared on here a couple of times previously. They return today with a song from their upcoming debut album, it's titled I Hope You OD and it'll be out on Voodoo Rhythm Records on December 21st https://www.voodoorhythm.com/
The band are a trio and line up with Jean Of Death (bass/backing vocals), Julio Blanco (drums/vocals) and Saint Martin (guitar/backing vocals). You can get more info here : https://www.facebook.com/badmojos/
The album will consist if 10 tracks, song titles include Commit A Crime, I Wanna Be Dead, Everybody Hates Me and the titular I Hope You OD. It sounds as though it's gonna be great fun (in a bad taste kinda way). This is the first video from the album, happily their sound doesn't appear to have changed much over the years, it's still catchy as hell and leaves me gagging to hear the full lp. This is Police Car...
Over the last few days I've noticed a couple of Facebook posts from people asking what their favourite Ramonescore albums are. By way of reply fans of bands such as Screeching Weasel, The Queers, Lillingtons, Riverdales etc mentioned their favourite albums, I think I threw Dark Thoughts into the mix. Although not mentioned, I would suggest the recently released Self Titled lp by THE REEKYS wouldn't be out of place if included in hat list.
German pop punkers THE REEKYS were from Munich and back in 2005 recorded 14 songs. I've no idea how they could lose what would have been a killer tape but it was only unearthed earlier this year. After having the sound beefed up by Eric Brady, it's been pressed onto vinyl and is the 100th release on Bachelor Records. With only 500 copies it's gonna be gone soon so if you're after one don't hesitate : https://shop.bachelorrecords.com/the-reekys
The album is a must hear for fans of old school pop punk. Kicking things off with a shouted 1-2-3-4 and then a simple but oh so effective sing along of Hey Hey, We're THE REEKYS these are 14 tracks that'll seem instantly familiar, even on a first play. It's been done before many times but seldomly this well. Love Ramonescore? You'll love this.
Top notch Italian post punk on the blog today. Qlowski are originally from Ravenna and feature Michele Tellarini, Cecilia Corapi, Davide Rossi and Francesco Salomone. They released their debut S/T ep a couple of years ago (snap it up name your price : https://qlowski.bandcamp.com/album/ep). They resurfaced a couple of days ago with an impressive follow up, it's titled Pure As Fear and it's available on 7" from Maple Death Records : http://www.mapledeathrecords.com/releases/mdr027/
Now based in London the band have released one of the year's most exciting eps. There's hints of Joy Division (track 4, Needle, I'll be playing this one on next week's Just Some Punk Songs show) whilst the song you'll find below brings to mind one of my favourite tracks of 2018 (Do You Remember by Interrobang). You can get more info on them here : https://www.facebook.com/qlowskix/
To my gnarly old ears, I'd say this is a band best played loud. This is the opening track to the new ep, it's titled Taking Control...
Peter118 are the christian punk band who seem to be dividing opinion amongst those who stumble across their music. Many people seem to be put off by what they see as the band pushing the religious agenda too much, others either buy into the message or just enjoy the band's pop punk sound. Personally I'm not in the least bit religious and to me tracks like For Your Glory come across as a bit ridiculous but having said that I'm of the opinion that the song you'll find at the bottom of this update is a big step up from most of their earlier material. I'm guessing everyone will have their own opinion and some will question why I'm posting christian music but just as I've no interest in the message I've also nothing against the messenger and am happy to share a decent enough new UK punk song.
The band are a trio from Stoke-On-Trent and feature Peter Szczepanski (vocals/guitar), Janine Szczepanski (vocals/bass) and Sam Critchley (drums). Their latest release is a split ep (3 tracks each) with Omaha, Nebraska street punk/oi band The Bricks and it's available on Raven Faith Records http://www.ravenfaithrecords.com./ https://peter118.bandcamp.com
Chunky riffs and shouty vocals, this is a simple but quite hard hitting pop punker, it's called Money & Lies. Hopefully the music will be judged on it's own merits...
