Real Sickies - It Came From Above

 

  Yesterday was a great day if you're a fan of super catchy pop punk music as there were 2 highly anticipated albums that both dropped. One of them, Gigantic Sike, was covered by Josh on his excellent Faster And Louder blog  (http://fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/mean-jeans-gigantic-sike.html) so today I'll post a song from the other one. 

  No strangers to Just Some Punk Songs (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2015/03/real-sickies-go-away.html / https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/06/real-sickies-get-well-soon.html), Real Sickies are from Edmonton, Alberta and play old school pop punk in the vein of Teenage Head, Teenage Bottlerocket and The Ramones. Their new album is titled Out Of Space and it features "13 rocket-propelled, turbo boosted, NASA disavowed tracks of incurable, infectious bliss." It's a half hour blast of feel good music that'll surely find the approval of anyone who likes their punk rock to contain catchy choruses and melodies galore. It's available on various different coloured ltd edition vinyl (pink pathogen, bluebonic plague, black death) and on digital download. It's on Stomp Records and you can snap it up here :   https://realsickies.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-space

  They've a few gigs lined up, including an album release show, and you can check details here :   https://www.facebook.com/therealsickies/

  There's plenty of contenders for favourite song but after a couple of listens to the album, this possibly made the biggest impression. It Came From Above...

I came along way since yesterday 
Pretty hard to change my ways 
When it came from above 
I realize why your heart went astray 
And why it might feel better that way 
When they come for your love 
When they come from above 

All I want is for a chance to say that I 
Don’t wanna say goodbye 
So please don’t leave me behind 

I can’t change time or the path behind 
But in our ways we’ve both been blind 
When they came from above 
I’ll do whatever it takes 
Spurts of love or masked graves 
When it comes to your love 
When it comes from above 

Went the wrong way, said the wrong thing 
Then I did it all over again 
But I came along way, a very long way just to hear you say that 

Those satellites of love the ones up high above 
Can’t change our love

Tyvek – I’ve Not Thought Once

 

(photo by Jen Dessinger)
 
  Back in July 2015 when I posted a song by Tyvek I said that they produced snappy gems of energetic punk rock (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2015/07/tyvek-4312-official-video-scion-av.html). Fast forward to 2019 and nothing much has changed, they're still here and they're still releasing those snappy gems.

  Hailing from Detroit they line up with founder member Kevin Boyer (guitar/vocals), Alex Glendening (bass), Shelley Salant (guitar) and Fred Thomas (drums). It's been a while since we had new material from them but they recently resurfaced with a new self released ep titled Changing Patterns Of Protective Coating. It's available on limited edition 7" vinyl (500 copies)   https://buydoubles.bigcartel.com/product/changing-patterns-of-protective-coating-ep and you can also find it on Bandcamp  https://tyvek.bandcamp.com/releases

  For more info on the band click here : https://www.facebook.com/tyvekx/

  Below you'll find the lead track, it's a catchy alt rock/post punk critique of a generation who drift through life in blissful ignorance happy to be spoon fed everything as long as they have a mobile phone and the latest shiny new gadgets. Attention spans are short in their world and original ideas are thin on the ground. It's called I've Not Thought Once...

The Unknowns - Dressed To Kill

 

  The Unknowns are a 3 piece rock n roll band with a punk rock attitude who hail from Australia's Sunshine Coast and who's line up features Josh Hardy (vocals/guitar), Caleb Hardy (drums) and Nathan Montgomery (bass). Their sound is timeless, very catchy rock n roll and they've been releasing music since 2016. Their influences include the likes of Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Lou Reed, Link Wray, Dick Dale, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry etc...). 

  They recently put out their first vinyl release in the form of a 7" single and it's available from Bargain Bin Records (quick note, keep an eye on Bargain Bin Records as they're responsible for releasing some great music already this year including by a couple of bands that have recently featured on here, C.O.F.F.I.N. and The Chats). You can stream the single here :   https://theunknowns4.bandcamp.com/album/dressed-to-kill-internet-love

  You can find more info (including details of their current tour) here :   https://www.facebook.com/Theunknown4573/ 

  Below you'll find the video for one of the songs on the new single, it brings up memories of classic punk n roll bands of yesteryear (the label throws around names such as Buzzcocks, New York Dolls and Radio Birdman, personally I'd say if you're a lover of well written songs like The Only Ones' Another Girl Another Planet and The Dictators' Stay With Me you'll be impressed). This is Dressed To Kill...

Danger!man - Onions

 

  Oslo punks Danger!man are back today with a track from their upcoming new album, Weapons Of Mass-Distraction. Forming in 2009 and taking inspiration from 80's hardcore they last featured on here 3 years ago with a song from their excellent split release with fellow Norwegians Lucky Malice (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2016/06/dangerman-never-black-never-white.html). You can download the split and their other releases here for free : http://www.dangerman.no/

  The new album is due out on 27th September, you can pre order it on limited edition coloured vinyl (with cd included) from Boss Tuneage (be quick, there's only 200 copies)   http://bosstuneage.bigcartel.com/product/danger-man-weapons-of-mass-distraction-lp-with-cd-included and you can stream a couple of tracks here :   https://bosstuneagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/weapons-of-mass-distraction 

  To help promote the album they've a number of gigs lined up:

  This is one of the teaser tracks they've shared, it certainly does the trick of stoking up anticipation for the full album. It's a pacy, gruff voiced and very good indeed. It's called Onions...

Misery Guts - Weibermacht

 

  Unhappy degenerates. Puerile d-beat hardcore... So goes the description on Facebook. The band are called Misery Guts and they're the latest addition to the Richter Scale Records' roster. In keeping with the majority of Richter Scale's releases (https://richterscaleoxford.bandcamp.com/music), they're pretty damn ferocious.

  The band are from Oxford and feature Evie Sherry-Starmer, Oli Hewer, Joe Briggs and Joe Turner. Oli may be familier to some of you as a member of several other Oxford bands including Guilt Police https://guiltpolice.bandcamp.com/ and Basic Dicks https://basicdicks.bandcamp.com/ whilst Joe Briggs is in Scrap Brain https://scrapbrainhc.bandcamp.com/ and Joe Turner is in Worry   https://worry.bandcamp.com/. This is vocalist Evie's first band.

  They've just released their debut ep, it's titled Oxford 'Ardcore and it's available as a name your price download here : https://miseryguts.bandcamp.com/album/oxford-ardkore. A cassette will be out soon on Richter Scale. The band rattle through 5 songs in around 8 minutes, the music is brutal, the lyrics are sparse and spat out dripping with venom. This is the opening track, translating from German as Power Of Women, it's titled Weibermacht...

YOU TOLD OUR FRIENDS I KISSED YOU FIRST 
SO I WOULDN’T SAY HOW MUCH IT HURT
TOLD OUR FRIENDS I KISSED YOU FIRST
SO I WOULDN’T TELL
TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF ME
DON’T TOUCH ME IF YOU HAVEN’T ASKED
TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF ME

Ubik - John Wayne (Is A Cowboy (And Is On Twitter))

 

  So the most popular track on yesterday's Just Some Punk Songs show? That'd be the one you're getting today.

  Ubik started out as a side project of melbourne goth punk band MASSES (https://massesmelbourne.bandcamp.com/) and describe their sound as "catchy brat-beat with a little sprinkling of anarcho goodness." Featuring a line up of Ashleigh Wyatt (vocals), Nellie Pearson (bass/vocals), Tessa Tribe (guitar) and Max Kohane (drums), they featured on here early last year with a song from their excellent Self Titled ep (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/01/ubik-andrew-bolts-twitter-account.html) and they again impressed later that year with the tracks they contributed to a split ep with another great Australian band, Cold Meat.

  They've got a new mini album coming on Iron Lung Records, it'll be available on vinyl (125 translucent lime green, 125 creamsicle orange, 350 black) from 27th Sept and you can pre order it here :   http://ironlungrecords.bigcartel.com/product/ubik-next-phase-mlp

  The first track is available now as a name your price download https://ubikpunk.bandcamp.com/ As you might expect, it's a raging blast of energy and a definite appetite whetter for the lp. It's called John Wayne (Is A Cowboy (And Is On Twitter))...

   

Snide - Idiot Nation

 

  Snide are a punk rock band from Maidstone in Kent who formed in 2007. Their line up features Lou Emmerick (vocals), Nick 'Nobby' Emmerick (bass/backing vocals), Rob Ore (guitar/backing vocals) and Tom Chuchla (drums). They last featured on here 3 years ago with a song from their Twat ep (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2016/03/snide-hey-mr-joseph.html) and that song is also featured on their new album Louder! Stronger! The album features 13 tracks and includes a combination of old favourites, newly performed and brand new unheard songs. The official release date is today and I'm sure their loyal fans, the Twat Army, will be lapping it up :     https://snide2.bandcamp.com/releases

  Unfortunately this could well be the last we hear from the band as they recently split up.

  The album barrels along, it's pacy, punchy old school punk rock with songs about all day drinking, unemployment, a spoon fed general public that won't think for themselves and how the church is more concerned with making money than saving souls. Catchy choruses are the order of the day so go check it out.

  I played this song to an appreciative chat room on last week's Just Some Punk Songs show and the lyrics were singled out for special praise so listen closely as you're bouncing around your room, this is Idiot Nation...

Accidente - ¿A cambio de qué?

   Not long ago on Facebook someone was asking people who their favourite Spanish band was and I didn't need to think twice before replying Accidente. As it's been a while since they've released new material, the appearance of a number of reissues and the release of a compilation album on Malaysian label Hardcore Detention was all the excuse I needed to feature them again on here. A crowdfunding appeal was recently set up to help them out and fund their flight back to Madrid after they were deported from Indonesia whilst touring south east Asia. Because of this they've had to cancel their Philippines gigs and couldn't get to Manila to catch their paid for flight home. Fortunately their fans ensured they received enough to get home and their passports have now been returned.

  The compilation album that's just been released is titled ACCIDENTE '2014-2016' (Southeast Tour Special Edition) and it gathers together the tracks that featured on the band's 2nd and 3rd albums plus their split with Duelo. It's a 23 track delight from a band at the top of their game. Available on cd and digital download, you can find it here :   https://hardcoredetonation.bandcamp.com/album/hdx021-19-accidente-2014-2016-southeast-asia-tour-special-edition

  I could have chosen pretty much any of the songs to highlight, they're all great (one of them even ended up claiming the number 1 spot in my Top 50 songs of 2016 chart :   https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-best-50-songs-of-2016.html), but today I'm going with the opening track from their Amistad y Rebelión album. This is ¿A cambio de qué? ....

Te veo y siento cosas que puedo comparar. 
Y es que no importa nada si eres o no legal. 
Que no somos distintas, que sufrimos igual, 
vendidas y humilladas a cambio de un jornal. 

Qué frio hace en la calle, quiero acercarme a ti, 
decirte que lo dejes pero me miro a mí. 
Qué infames ocho horas que engullen mi pasión. 
Robando de los míos cariño y comprensión. 

Quizá pague las cuentas, quizá sea ejemplar, 
pero al final del día, ya no puedo soñar. 
Caprichos que no llenan, necia necesidad, 
por este decorado ¡no quiero trabajar! 

Toda nuestra alegría, toda nuestra energía, 
¿a cambio de qué? 

--------------------------------------------------------- 
I see you and feel things / that I can easily compare / Because it makes no change whether you're legal or not / 'Cause we are not different / and we suffer the same / we are sold and humiliated in exchange for a wage / It`s cold on the street / and I want to get close to you / and tell you to quit / but I look at myself… / What infamous eight hours that gobble my passion! / stealing affection and understanding from my people! / And yes...I can pay the bills / I may be exemplary / but at the end of the day / I cannot dream anymore / unsatisfying cravings, foolish needs / I don’t want to work to build this lie! / All our energy, all our joy… / in exchange for what?

Bamboo Vipers - Inch High Private Eye

  There's certain bands that when they release a new record, you're never quite sure what you're going to get. Bamboo Vipers are one of those. The new record in question is the Behind Closed Doors ep and even though it seems to have been a while coming, a video has now surfaced and the release date of the ep is imminent.

  From Hampshire and featuring a line up of Shaun Morris (vocals), Jon Webb (guitar), Ade Hood (drums), Count Click (bass) and Guy Wesley (harmonica), Bamboo Vipers' are an inventive rock n roll band who's sound incorporates elements of punk and alt rock and whatever else they can shoehorn in. Forming in 2013, they soon released debut album Dangling The Bait but it was only last year when I first came across them when I was blown away by their glam rocking stomper, Silver Boots. This was followed by the gothic tinged Haunted House ep (https://bamboovipers.bandcamp.com/track/haunted-house) and then after the tragic death of guitarist Al Woodcock they honoured his memory with the release of double A sided single America/Don't Go Poking Around.

  Their modus operandi is to remain in the public eye which means that they try to release a regular stream of eps. It shouldn't be too long after Behind Closed Doors is upon us before the next one surfaces (hopefully I'm not giving away any secrets by saying it's going to be titled The Dawn Of Civilisation and that the 4 tracks are winners).

  The video you'll see below was filmed by Ged Wesley and is for a song about the diminutive protagonist that was the titular star of a 70's Hanna-Barbara kids cartoon. Starting almost in lounge music style, the song is a definite earworm that infiltrates your brain. It's not long before Guy's trademark harmonica kicks in, Shaun is singing about sleeping in a pencil case, falling down inkwells and travelling by paper plane. As the song changes gear we get a killer riff, horns and a brilliant contribution on back up vocals by Southampton based vocal coach Toni Anastasi (playing the part of Inch's niece Lori). All in all a wonderful song with a bit of a 70's psychedelic groove that you can dance to. Yep, inventive is the right word for them. Snap up the ep when you can   https://www.facebook.com/BambooVipers/

  This is Inch High Private Eye...

Lost Cherrees - As Long As You Love Me

 

(photo : Mark Richards)
 
  Updating this blog with great new music every single day isn't always an easy task but there are certain wells I can return to on a regular basis confident in the knowledge that my bucket will get filled. One of the most reliable of those places is Grow Your Own Records, a label that I can always rely on to satisfy my needs. With bucket full, today I share with you another of their releases.

  Lost Cherrees were formed way back in 1979 in Sutton, they're an anarcho punk band and were contemporaries of the likes of Conflict, Flux Of Pink Indians, Subhumans etc as well as being favourites of the much missed John Peel. They became disillusioned and split in 1986 with members pursuing other projects. Increasing interest in their music led to them reforming in 2003 and they've been active ever since. A few days ago they released their new album and as expected, it's great.

  The 2019 incarnation of Lost Cherrees features Marie Repulsive, Liss Fitzgerald, Steve Battershill, Trystan O'Connell and Matt Thair. You may have seen them recently play Rebellion, I heard they went down a storm. Unfortunately, despite the band celebrating 40 years since coming into existence, the issues they address in their songs (sexism, misogyny, bigotry, profiteering, warring nations etc ) are still very much in evidence in 2019. We need bands like Lost Cherrees to shout about them. You can get more info here : https://www.facebook.com/lostcherrees/

  The album is titled Blank Pages, it's available on ltd edition vinyl and you can check it out here :   https://anthraxuk.bandcamp.com/album/blank-pages 

  I'll play a different song on Sunday's Just Some Punk Songs show but today I'll highlight a song that borrows from a 1968 hit you'll probably remember by The American Breed but which is rewritten to highlight the horrors of domestic abuse. This is As Long As You Love Me...

Snuff - Hey Boff

   It's been 33 years since Snuff formed as a 3 piece (Duncan Redmonds, Simon Wells, Andrew Crighton) in London. Despite breaking up in 1991 and subsequently undergoing numerous line up changes, they're still around and still putting out great music. A lot of the reason they're still here is down to NOFX frontman Fat Mike who persuaded the band to keep their original name and who signed them to his Fat Wreck Chords label for whom they released some of their most popular records. One of the UK'S best, and most enduring bands, they're about to unleash a new lp. Titled There's A Lot Of It About, it's due on Sept 20th, they're still on Fat Wreck and you can preorder it here : https://fatwreck.com/products/there-s-a-lot-of-it-about

  There's a track, Dippy Egg, streaming on Bandcamp https://fatwreck.com/products/there-s-a-lot-of-it-about

  A second song from the album has just turned up on Youtube, if it sounds a little familiar that's because a version of it appeared on their 2016 No Biting ep. It's an uptempo toe tapper, a singalong with handclaps, it's the sound of a band that can still knock it out of the park. This is Hey Boff...

Cuir - Trop Vieux Pour Mourir Jeune

  Back in February, waves were created amongst certain sections of the punk community upon the release of a very impressive demo by Cuir. The solo project of Doug Zilla (Sordid Ship/Radical Failure/Coupe Gorge), based in Lorient (France) and boasting a mean synth this was just the kind of sit up and take notice music this blog loves. It was name your price on Bandcamp and so is the first single. It's titled Single Single, it features 3 more synth heavy cuts of primitive punk and it's every bit as impressive as the demo. From what I can make out, it's going to be available next month on cassette from Forty Tapes (https://www.facebook.com/fortytapes/) but it's already available for download : https://cuir1.bandcamp.com/album/single-single-2

  The name of the band translates into English as Leather. The song I'm posting today appears to translate as Too Old To Die Young. This is Trop Vieux Pour Mourir Jeune...

Trop vieux pour mourir jeune 
Trop vieux pour mourir jeune ouais 
Trop vieux pour mourir jeune 
Je suis trop vieux pour mourir jeune 

Jeune 
Pour mourir jeune ouais 
Jeune 

Les années passent et quoi que je fasse 
Le mec que je vois dans la glace 
Ne veut pas céder sa place. 
Et pourtant putain il a bien changé 
Impossible de le nier c'est validé sur l'papier 

Les rides sur mon visage au cutter 
J'vais m'les creuser 
Si les sillons du temps ne veulent pas s'afficher 
Elle est où 
La putain de marque d'mes excès ? 
Y'a un truc qui déconne, genre benjamin button 

Comme l'habit fait pas le moine, j'dois avoir l'air d'un curé, qui vient d'choper le Graal, jeunesse assurée 
Mais j'veux pas boire "nan" 
J'veux pas boire là-dedans, 
Pas besoin d'une cure de jouvence, 
1984 démence 

Pas besoin d'une cure de jouvence 
Pas besoin d'une cure de jouvence 
1984 démence 

Les rides sur mon visage au cutter 
J'vais m'les creuser 
Si les sillons du temps ne veulent pas s'afficher 
Elle est où 
La putain de marque d'mes excès ? 
Y'a un truc qui déconne, genre benjamin button 

Comme l'habit fait pas le moine, j'dois avoir l'air d'un curé, qui vient d'choper le Graal, jeunesse assurée 
Mais j'veux pas boire "nan" 
J'veux pas boire là-dedans 
Pas besoin d'une cure de jouvence 
1984 démence 

Trop vieux pour mourir jeune 
Je suis trop vieux pour mourir jeune 

Les rides sur mon visage au cutter 
J'vais m'les creuser 
Si les sillons du temps ne veulent pas s'afficher 
Elle est où 
La putain de marque d'mes excès ? 
Y'a un truc qui déconne, genre benjamin button 

Comme l'habit fait pas le moine, j'dois avoir l'air d'un curé, qui vient d'choper le Graal, jeunesse assurée 
Mais j'veux pas boire "nan" 
J'veux pas boire là-dedans, 
Pas besoin d'une cure d"e jouvence, 
1984 démence.

The Battlebeats - I'm Just A Piece Of Shit

 

  HA HA HA....Are you ready to rock n roll motherfuckers?......

  So starts the debut mini album from The Battlebeats. They're a stripped down one man garage punk project from Bandung, Indonesia. They're also a one man project, that man being Andresa Ridha Nugraha. Heavily influenced by 90's Japanese garage heroes Teengenerate, Andresa used a jaguar guitar through a 15-watt amp, floor-snare-tambourine, drums but no bass guitar to create a pretty powerful rocking sound. Even more impressive 4 of the 6 songs were only written in the 5 days before recording. One of the other songs is a cover of Teengenerate's Dressed In Black. The album's Self Titled, physical copies will be available soon but for now you can check it out here :   https://thebattlebeats.bandcamp.com/releases

  Being a new project there's not really much more info I can share but you can keep an eye on future developments by giving him a like on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thebattlebeats/

  The song that I'm highlighting today was written on the day before Andresa went into the studio (the riff the night before, the lyrics in the morning). Booking recording time before you actually have any songs is a pretty damn risky thing to do but on this occasion it's worked out very well indeed. This is called I'm Just A Piece Of Shit...

The Darts (US) - Breakup Makeup

 

  The Darts, or The Darts (US) as they now seem to be called, are the garage-psych-rock 4 piece that last appeared on here last Christmas with this festive offering   https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-darts-mistletoe.html

  Since then the girls, Nicole Laurenne (organ/vocals), Christina Nunez (bass/vocals), Rikki Styxx (drums/vocals) and Meliza Jackson (guitars/vocals), have released their second proper lp. A follow up to 2017's highly rated Me.Ow. it's titled I Like You But Not Like That and it's available from Alternative Tentacles on dark red vinyl and cd https://alternativetentacles.com/product/i-like-you-but-not-like-that/ as well as to download https://thedartsus.bandcamp.com/album/i-like-you-but-not-like-that-2

  Reviews of the album throw around words such as sultry and seductive and comment of fuzzy guitars, bass heavy riffs and moody synth. The band describe themselves as being akin to Elvira and Wednesday Adams consuming the flesh of man, drinking shots of snake venom and starting a band for the bride of Frankenstein's bachelorette bash. Think 60's garage, think Nuggets compilations but with a modern production. You can get more info on them here :   https://www.facebook.com/thedartsUS/

  This is the opening track on the album and the new video. The tale of a volatile relationship, slammed doors followed by new beginnings all told over a swirling, hypnotic backbeat. It's called Breakup Makeup...

Dollhouse - Summer Love

 

  A band I know very little about today other than that they're called Dollhouse, they're from New York and they recently released a killer demo. Supposedly their singer was in another New York band, Mommy (https://mommynyc.bandcamp.com/) whilst other members have been in the likes of Hank Wood, LOTION and Pharmkon.

  The Demo is Self Titled and boasts 6 tracks of darkly atmospheric hardcore. Rather than the usual punk staples of smashing the system or fighting inequality these songs deal with slightly more esoteric themes such as watching angels make love, self harming pervert boys and shadow babies. All 6 tracks capture your interest, all are great. Anticipation is high for more music by them. You can find it here : https://dollhousenyc.bandcamp.com/album/demo

  If you're anywhere near London on the 21st Sept, you can catch them live   https://www.songkick.com/artists/268764-dollhouse

  This is the opening track, possibly a true story since it's set in their home city, it's called Summer Love...

summer ’06 we were both sick 
it wasn’t cancer but it looked like we had it 
the thinning of our hair the shaking of our knees 
I thought we both looked beautiful weak in New York heat 
so we pulled on flowers like everything was okay 
I thought we had a death pact but then you ran away from me 
I didn’t understand 

ever fallen in love with a sicko before? 
they say it’s hard 
when their entire life is helping 
someone starve 
life's a competition 
life's hard 

so we pulled on flowers like everything was okay 
I thought we had a death pact but you ran away 
from me 
I didn’t get it 

you were not much smaller than me 
but I helped you tie your shoes like some annoying baby 
putting lucky rocks in our pockets before we went to therapy 
you disappeared maybe that’s on me 
summer ’06 we were both sick 
I thought we had a death pact but you didn’t do it

Private Function - Talking To Myself (Reviewed By Adam ("Baldy") Mishkin)

 

  On occasion I've been known to rave on about songs and bands that I like. There's also times when friends will alert me to a particular song that's floating their boat. Last week, Baldy (Sydney born and now living in Perth) enthused to me about a band from his native land called Private Function. I told him I'd played their latest single on a recent show and indeed they were really good. Then I asked him to review the single for me, which he's done. To make things even more topical, they've just released their debut album, it's called St. Anger and the single is on it so everything ties together nicely. The album's available on lp and cassette from Disdain Records  https://disdainrecords.bigcartel.com/products and you can also find it on Bandcamp  https://privatefunction.bandcamp.com/album/st-anger

  For more info check here : https://www.facebook.com/privatefunctionmelbourne/

  And now over to Baldy...

  Private Function are one of the new generation of Aussie garage - rock n roll/retro 70's punk rock inspired bands to come out of Melbourne, Australia. Kind of in the same league as their rockin' Melbourne counter parts - Amyl and the Sniffers. Melbourne is undoubtedly the sub cultural music hub and cultural hub of modern Australia, some might argue it always has been (it's humorously referred to as the 'Paris of the south' by some). Overtaking Sydney in most things I would say.

I Haven't been able to pin down their exact influences but I would say they are influenced by everything from Midnight Oil (check out a good cover of King Of The Mountain) to Cosmic Psycho's, Antiseen, The Bronx, Radio Birdman and the Celibate Rifles maybe?? I def hear some of those bands' influences, but don't quote me, could be intentional or unintentional.

Amongst their releases so far are debut cassette Six Smokin' Songs, Rock In Roll and debut album St Anger. They definitely have a bit of a sarcastic tongue in cheek, sick twisted sense of humour about them. Not at all uncommon for Melbourne boys and musos. If you look at their EP/LP covers, especially Six smoking songs , you will see what I am on about. For me their stand out songs, or well ones I like best so far are 'Duct tape' and 'Talking to myself'. Strong rock n roll belters, anthemic almost. If you love your Aussie style garage rock n roll. Meat and potato's hard rockin' punk, then I would say these fella's are definitely for you. As our dear old Molly Meldrum would say "Do yaself a favour and give em a listen cobber." -

This Is Talking To Myself...

The Wasters - Happy

  For yesterday's update I posted a song by a band from Liverpool who've been together for around a decade and who have a new album on Antipop Records so as I like to mix things up on here, today you're getting a song by a band from Liverpool who've been together for around a decade who've a new album on Antipop Records! Whilst Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies have managed 4 studio albums in that time, The Wasters have just got round to releasing their (Self Titled) debut. I think it's fair to say it's been worth the wait.

  There's been numerous line up changes down the years, they've even broken up, but at the moment the band is Gary Jardine (vocals), Kraig Shaw (drums), Joey "Juice" Smith (guitar) and Pete "Lunt" Goulden (bass). Their sound is mid tempo, 70's influenced punk rock and they seem to draw frequent comparisons to The Sex Pistols. Despite the lengthy wait, the album is only 8 songs long but this leaves the listener wanting more and is a case of a band favouring quality over quantity. It's available on cd and to download here :   https://antipoprecords.greedbag.com/buy/the-wasters/

  Snotty vocals, rumbling guitar and a catchy tune, all the ingredients needed to make a punk Happy....

Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies - Goth Postman

 

  It's not that long ago since Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies featured on here with a song from their 10th anniversary retrospective This Is Kitchencore which was followed a day later by a run down of frontman Pete Bentham's 10 favourite punk songs (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/12/top-10-songs-chosen-by-pete-bentham.html).

  The Liverpool band return today with a song from their excellent upcoming new album England's Up For Sale. You may recognise the song as it featured on This Is Kitchencore but if you tune into Sunday's Just Some Punk Songs show I'll be playing a new track from the album.

  So, England's Up For Sale.... The band's 4th studio album and their most complete lyrical work yet. It's a snapshot of the current state of a bewildered Brexit Britain full of bent politicians, gentrification, homogenisation, boy racers and unruly youth. Is it a punk album? Well it certainly has elements of punk but it also borrows from garage, post-punk, rock n roll, folk and even jazz. As it says in one of the songs, genres are for the gormless so I'll be tagging this album eclectic cabaret and hoping I get their nod of approval. 

  Alongside Pete Bentham (guitar/vocals), the album features Pete Andtwoveg (bass/vocals), Sonny Rollingpin (sax/vocals), Tony Calzone (drums) and of course the Dinnerettes, Patty Cakes & Peggy Bread. The band's probably best known for their highly entertaining live shows and they've a number lined up, including a couple in Germany. You can check details here :   https://www.facebook.com/dinnerladiesliverpool/

  The album is out on 4th October on Antipop Records and you can preorder it here :   https://antipoprecords.greedbag.com/buy/englands-up-for-sale-0/

  This is Goth Postman...

Zerodent - Not Good For Me

  Hailing from Perth, Zerodent feature Lee Jenkins (vocals), Dylan Prossor (drums), Predrag Delibasich (guitar) and Clinton Bell (bass). Formed in 2015 by a bunch of friends who'd known each other for over a decade and who'd all honed their skills in various other bands they've undergone a couple of line up changes along the way as well as releasing a pair of albums on Alien Snatch Records (2016's Self Titled and 2018's Landscapes Of Merriment) and 2 eps (Soul Mender and Tour ep). Today's song comes from the most recent ep.

  https://aliensnatch.bandcamp.com/album/zerodent-tour-ep

  They've recently been touring around Europe (I suppose that's as good a reason as any to release a tour ep) and are now back in Australia and looking forward to a few gigs on home soil, including a support slot with Amyl And The Sniffers next month. You can get more details here :   https://www.facebook.com/zerodentperth/

  If you want a fairly long and interesting read there's an online account of their Euro tour here :   https://colomber.blogspot.com/2019/07/zerodent-euro-tour-june-2019.html

  As for the ep, you can expect 4 post punk influenced tracks complete with jangly guitars. All in all another top release from down under. This is the lead track, Not Good For Me....

Dadar - I'm A Toch

  So on yesterday's Just Some Punk Songs show I played the title track of the killer new ep by Italian band Dadar. It's called I'm A Toch and I've got to be honest I'm not sure what a Toch is. Google suggests it could be an engaging storyteller who exaggerates the importance of positive developments and misrepresents or ignores key negative ones. Even worse, despite the word being mentioned numerous times throughout the song I still couldn't pronounce it properly! If you know what it means let me know in the comments section. Luckily none of that matters much as it's a great song.

  Dadar are from Roverto and featured on here a couple of years ago when the solo project of Shitty Life guitarist Lorenzo "Piff" Belli  (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/10/dadar-get-away.html). Now with an expanded line up (at least when playing live) and on Goodbye Boozy Records they're still bringing home the bacon. Quirky synth punk that's both catchy and very cool, it's available on 7" and as a name your price download : https://dadar.bandcamp.com/album/im-a-toch

  I'm A Toch...

I'm a toch I'm a toch, 
don't wanna be like you, 
out of touch out of touch, 
no matter what I do 
I'm a toch I'm a toch, 
don't wanna be like you, 
Out of toch 
I'm just a fucking... 

I'm a toch, baby 

Out of place out of place, 
is where I've always been 
I'm a freak I'm a toch 
dont wanna be like me 
out of place out of place 
is where I've always been 
out of place 

I'm a toch, baby 
I'm just a fucking...

This Is Not A Drill - That House Is In England

  It's Sunday, which means it's the Just Some Punk Songs show day. An hour of new punk music, 26 killer tracks including the song I'm posting here today. You can listen to the show at 8pm (gmt) here :   http://mixlr.com/global-punk-radio/

  This Is Not A Drill are an aggressive political 3 piece punk band from South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire. They line up with Lee McCormick (guitar/lead vocals), Brian Damage (bass/backing vocals) and Jake Parker (drums/backing vocals). Their first release was 2017's 8 track Hysteria/Hypocrisy/Lies. Last month they returned with a new album titled Fight Like A Girl, 10 more powerful diy blasts of angry punk which takes aim at hateful white "victims", sexual inequality, turning a blind eye, the rise of the far right and it all ends with a cover of Sheffield band Irrational Act's Community. It's hard hitting and highly recommended and available to stream here : https://thisisnotadrill.bandcamp.com/album/fight-like-a-girl

  You can find more info here : https://www.facebook.com/THISISNOTADRILLPUNK/

  This song questions the need to fly the flag and it's called That House Is In England...

Walking down the street 
In this gracious land 
I saw a red and white flag 
And now I understand… 

That house is in …England 
Without that flag we wouldn’t know 
That house is in …England 
Without that flag we wouldn’t know 
We wouldn’t know. 

My neighbour’s house 
Has a large pole 
Is it Irony? 
Or their heart and soul?

Trampoline Team - Patty Hearst

 

  BOOM! Pressing play on the new, Self Titled, album by New Orleans' Trampoline Team is akin to lighting the blue touch paper and causing an explosion of gloriously boisterous noise. The songs on the album are all fuck you, female fronted rock n roll buzzbombs which combine to produce an adrenaline rush of the highest order. God damn I'm impressed.

  It's only a couple of months since the band featured on here with a track from the equally as frenetic Kill You ep https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/06/trampoline-team-kill-you-on-streetcar.html and the album keeps up that mad dash to the finish line pace. There's not been much in the way of updates posted recently on the band's Facebook page so I've not much new info to share to pad out this write up but I did notice the mega prolific DD Owen saying he'd played drums on the album and I also came across a whole bunch of upcoming European tour dates which I might as well share :

Sun 8/11 Aarhus Denmark
Mon 8/12 Copenhagen @ Mayhem
Tue 8/13 Gothenburg
Wed 8/14 Stockholm @ Vielle Montagne
Thu 8/15 Malmo @ Massingshornet
Fri 8/16 Berlin @ Bei Ruth
Sat 8/17 Leipzig Germany
Sun 8/18 Prague Czech Republic
Mon 8/19 Vienna Austria                                                                                                                   
Tue 8/20 Zagreb Croatia @ Klub Mocvara
Wed 8/21 Venice Italy
Thu 8/22 Bergamo Italy                                                                                                                        Fri  8/23 Bologna Italy @ Freak Show
Sat 8/24 Teramo Italy
Sun 8/25 Naples Italy
Mon 8/26 Mantova Italy
Tue 8/27 Kreuzlingen Switzerland @ Horst
Wed 8/28 Heidelberg Germany @ Schmitthelm
Thu 8/29 Hamburg Germany @ Hafenklang
Fri 8/30 Hamburg Germany Sat 8/31 Hamburg Germany

  Back to the album, vinyl lovers need to check Hozac Records, https://hozacrecords.com/ and for digital get on Bandcamp : https://trampolineteam.bandcamp.com/album/trampoline-team 

  This song's called Patty Hearst...

Depression Breakfast - Art Girl

 

(photo by Lance Conzett Photography)
 
  Depression Breakfast are a Riot Grrrl band from Nashville protesting capitalism, nazis and annoying lo-fi art boys since 2017. The line up of the band is Meg Pharr (vocals), Linda Parrot (guitar/vocals), Audra Mueller (bass) and David Mayer (drums). Their tagline states OVERTHROW COCKROCK AND IDOLIZE YOUR GIRLFRIEND. Their music is "stripped down fiery feminist punk."
https://www.facebook.com/depressionbreakfast/

  They announced themselves last year with a demo ep and then last week they released their debut album, Just Because I'm A Womxn. It also looks as though it could be their swansong as they appear to have split up due to vocalist Meg moving out of the country. To paraphrase the recent Rotten Foxes ep, they arrived, raised hell and left. The album boasts 8 short, sharp blasts of punky noise railing against the establishment and the patriarchy. It's a sonic kick in the balls. It's a blast. It's out on To-Go Records and available as a name your price download :
https://depressionbreakfast.bandcamp.com/album/just-because-im-a-womxn

  This song's called Art Girl....

Introducing Scratch Rock Records

  London band Brain Ape have featured on here a few times and I've been told by their vocalist/guitarist Minky Très-vain that the band's record label is undergoing a transformation so in an attempt to try something a little different on the blog today I'm bringing you an interview with him to introduce Scratch Rock Records. The label is born from the ashes of Schlimbum Records and launches officially on 14th August. Schlimbum was founded by Minky and his friend Dydy Haynes with the intention of releasing music produced within London's punk scene and by peers of the two. I expect Scratch Rock Records will continue that legacy but let's check....



I suppose the obvious first question would be who is behind Scratch Rock Records

Scratch Rock Records is run by a great team of people, some familiar to people and others not so much. To name a few, the company was founded by Dydy Haynes and myself. Dydy was Brain Ape's other guitar player on the band's first album. People who follow Brain Ape will also recognise Sol's face. He's been in quite a few of the bands that the company has worked with over the years, and he now has an official position within the label. Another great mention is Nacho Vilanova, who does a lot of our graphical work. He's a genius and has the perfect blend of design and functionality. The reason our stuff looks so great is that he is a master of his craft.

Scratch Rock Records is a rebranding of Schlimbum Records. Tell me about that label

We started that label after a sour experience with a small indie label in London which we had planned to release Brain Ape's first single with. They were honestly so rubbish at what they did that we turned around when they failed to release the track on the scheduled release date and thought to ourselves "we could do a much better job ourselves". So we did. It took us a while to get everything in motion, as I think it does most labels. We released a few singles and split EPs to begin with and then released our first physical pressing in 2013. That's when we really fell into the grooves of what we wanted the company to be. What's been really great for us is that we've kept everything close to us and only worked with people we feel we can trust and who are on the same wave-length. It may mean that we don't release the same sort of quantity that other indie labels do, but we feel like we've been pretty consistent with the quality over the years.

http://www.schlimbumrecords.com/

Why the rebranding? Is it just because no one can pronounce schlimbum or are there other reasons?

We've felt as though we've outgrown the name for quite a while now. When we started the company as 'Schlimbum', we were after an unusual name that kept us on the down-low if we're honest. For us it was about the music we were releasing, rather than the company itself. But over the last few releases, with our pressings gaining more attention, we've felt that the name doesn't really strike the right chord with people. Almost a decade ago I gave an interviewer a sarcastic response to the usual 'what type of music does your band play', and I replied with 'Scratch Rock' because it was void of meaning. It was off the top of my head, and no thought was put into it. I really don't mind interviews with people I find have put the time into finding out a little bit about you before they sit down to chat. But if you're going to interview a band, surely their genre is the most basic level of information you should know. So I gave a non-answer to a non-question, but the term stuck for whatever reason. At first it stuck as an inside joke within the band, so we just started answering with that anytime anyone asked us what sort of music we made, but over time articles and features started using the term genuinely rather than in ignorance and so it's become its own thing. And that's quite neat. We now joke that it's become an anti-genre. So then when we decided early this year to change the name of the company, only one name really made sense to us. 'Scratch Rock' has been with us since the beginning, so let's see where we can take it whether it likes it or not.

This blog's featured Brain Ape which is your band but which other Schlimbum band did you most enjoy releasing music by?

Personally I still really love the A Twisted Carnival album we released in 2015. That album was the result of Sol's imagination exploring the possibilities after Brain Ape's first album. At the time I was really searching for a very particular sound in production for the material we were putting out, and so having been recorded so soon after Brain Ape's first it shares a lot of sonic qualities that 'Dara O'' has. But I think with retrospect it'll be a really interesting crossroad. Brain Ape's second album sounded very different to the first, and I think if Sol ever makes another Twisted Carnival record it'll be in a completely different style to anything Brain Ape would ever do. So although both bands started in a similar place, they'll be a testament to the artistic possibilities of a project given time to grow.

With a new name for the label will there be a new sound or direction and who are you planning to release music by?

I think all of our current artists are evolving as time goes on. We've already got a few releases in the pipeline which I can't talk about yet, but they're by artists that fans of the label will recognise. But I think one of the things that all of our artists have in common is that they aren't looking to release the same album twice. And as everyone is evolving in different ways, the music is bound to go in different directions depending on the people behind it.

Tell me about your link up with Haringey Huskies ice hockey team

We've been in talks with them since the beginning of the year in order to try and work something out. A few of the staff behind Scratch Rock Records are fans of the team, myself included, and so when the possibility of working together arose we jumped at it and started formal discussions. The team's based in North London, at the Alexandra Palace, which is a stone's throw away from where I live and I really enjoy going to their games. The atmosphere is great, I love the sport, and the team are really welcoming to people of all ages, colour, creed, background. If we manage to pull off a deal between the two of us, then I'd be very happy. I think it's rare to find a company that is run for passion rather than profit, but it's something that both Scratch Rock Records and the Haringey Huskies have in common, and I'd love for our two families to become one.

Fast forward 5 years, what would you like to be able to say about Scratch Rock Records

That we stayed true to our original vision. We've never been about cashing out quickly, or pressuring our artists to make music based on charts, focus-groups, or numbers. We've really enjoyed working with people who want to make records just for the sake of it, and we're incredibly happy to help where we can. The family's grown really organically, and if it continues to do so then we've done our job right.


As I always finish with a song, here's Brain Ape performing Rig It, live at The Unicorn and it's taken from the dvd they released last December...