Reckless Upstarts are a S.H.A.R.P. (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) oi/street punk band from Windsor, Ontario featuring Mike Gibbons (bass/vocals), Curtis Byrne (guitar/vocals), Matt Bishop (guitar) and Terrence Gomes (drums). They formed in 2013 and have released the Rose City Cantos ep and a split ep with fellow countrymen Streetlight Saints. Their most recent release is an ep titled Glory.
You can get more info on the Rose City Bootboys, including details of their gig in Hamilton (at This Ain't Hollywood) on October 10th with Urban Vietcong, Barbed Wire Braces and Bring The War Home here : https://www.facebook.com/recklessupstarts/
Glory features 4 tracks, it's tuneful, working class punk that demands you sing along. The songs deal with the struggles of the working man ("fight for what is ours, tell stories with our scars"), making your voice heard ("we're going to stand up and shout, we won't be silenced"), fence sitters ("you better pick a side") and smashing the fascists ("the nazis didn't die back in '45"). You can get it on vinyl (red marbled, cream white, black) from Contra Records https://www.contra-net.com/de/ (Europe) or Insurgent Records https://urbanstrife.com/ (North America). It's also on Bandcamp : https://recklessupstarts.bandcamp.com/album/glory
This is the title track, a battle cry to rise up and stand together. It's called Glory...
Damn, such a good record but aside from a Bandcamp link, I can't find any other info anywhere. Time for a couple of paragraphs of waffle....
So over the weekend I was listening to Paul Jones' "half assed attempt at a radio show." An excellent hour long run through of some of the best music around. The show's titled Punk Rock Garage Sale and Paul plays very cool bands such as Booji Boys, Trampoline Team, TV Crime, Judy And The Jerks etc plus loads that haven't featured on this blog many of which are new to me. I highly recommend you check it out https://www.mixcloud.com/mrpij/octobers-punk-rock-garage-sale/
Anyway, one of the bands that I was unfamiliar with are a 4 piece from Boston. They're called Loretta and feature a line up of Iain (guitar), Francesca (guitar/vocals), Venessa (bass/vocals) and Mary (drums/backup vocals). Not sure how long they've been together but as they've only one release on Bandcamp I'm guessing not long. That release is a 6 track ep titled Bleach My Brain and it's very good. Shouty female fronted punk with plenty of energy dealing with topics like bumping into your ex and their new girlfriend, no more ms nice girl, wanting to be left alone, being skint and the need to stop worrying about it, wanting someone to go the fuck away... Snap it up name your price here : https://lorettaboston.bandcamp.com/album/bleach-my-brain
And then there's this one. It's called Jeans Too Tight....
Dentist said I’d look alright if it wasn’t for my smile I don’t smile anyways, so how about my scowl? I could stare into the mirror til I can’t stand my face But I’m going out tonight, I ain’t got no time to waste
Going out tonight, with my jeans too tight Going out tonight, with my hair up high Going out tonight, bad teeth & dirty boots Going out tonight, looking for you!
The doctor said I could stand to lose a few The charts say that he’s right but I got better things to do I could stare into the mirror til I can’t stand my face But I’m going out tonight, I ain’t got no time to waste
My family said I’d look alright if it wasn’t for my style I don’t see em anyway so look who’s in denial I could stare into the mirror til I can’t stand my face But I’m going out tonight, I ain’t got no time to waste
Earlier this week I was contacted by Ronny Van Dyk who told me he and his wife, Jen Lysle-van Dyke, had earlier this year started up a diy label called Wreckless Enterprise. Based in Wollongong, Australia, it's aim was to "shine a spotlight on all the unknown but fucking amazing punk bands that exist in every nook and cranny of most towns." As I've been saying for a while now, Australia is churning out so much great punk music at the moment that straight away I asked Ronny if he'd select a Top 10 of some of his favourite new bands and being a cool and enthusiastic guy he readily agreed so that's what you're getting today.
First though, if you're interested in discovering killer Aussie bands that you might otherwise overlook, here's the Wreckless Enterprise Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/wrecklessenterprise/
Already the label has released an excellent compilation titled Short Fuse Volume 1. 12 short punk bangers that fit nicely onto a red vinyl 7" and are also available digitally. https://wrecklessenterprise.bandcamp.com/releases
Short Fuse Volume 2 is coming soon and will feature another selection of exciting unknowns.
And now to Ronny's Top 10....
1. The Vee Bees - Park Bog from the lp Yeah Nah, Yeah Nah https://theveebees.bandcamp.com/album/yeah-nah-yeah-nah
These guys fit perfectly into the resurgence of Aussie ‘Bogan punk’ with accents broader than the Sahara and humour to match. Singing about all the important things like Public Loos and Drive-through bottle shops, the VeeBees are a big and fun live draw.
2. Legal Aliens - It’s A Trap from the ep Welcome To The Business State
New to the scene, political, antagonistic and offensive to anyone with even the slightest right wing sympathies. An aural assault with a clever sharp tongued frontman, often humourous.
Darlings of the Melbourne femme-punk scene, this two piece sound like the Cramps, the White Stripes and Nina Hagen got together for a threesome. Unique vocals and lyrics really set these guys apart from the pack.
This trio, led by a teenage drummer/vocalist, are a big part of a new tidal wave of very young punk-influenced bands doing the circuit at the moment. This wave have their own thing going on but are very much informed by previous waves of punk, garage and grunge. Great live act!
Another new band on the scene, informed as much by Detroit-style punk which has always been a massive deal in Australia, as the glam and hard rock of the early 70s. Wonderful raw guitar sound on this one, and classic grizzled and weary vocal styling.
7. The Not Nots - Default
https://thenotnots.bandcamp.com/ Probably one of the more unusual bands on the circuit, this ‘art punk’ band from Newcastle have made their mark with quirky off-timings and often dischordant guitar parts, combined with good strong harmonies and very tight playing. Hard to categorise, but somewhere between Talking Heads, Hüsker Du and perhaps the Pixies.
What can we say, the absolute embodiment of the Bogan punk resurgence rears it’s head again with this young trio, who almost exclusively sing about food. Larrikins on stage and off, there is no line between the performance and real life for these blokes, this is not an act, this is the real deal. Unpretentious, funny, you’d have to be dead not to enjoy these guys on some level. A band to watch.
9. Das Asps - Christmas Dissmissmas
Really hard to find any info on this band, but happily stumbled across them on Facebook. Some say they’re from Dresden but I’m 99 percent certain they would have to be Australian given the accent. Manic, fast paced old school punk stylings, a bit of Cramps in there. Crazy track.
Only 18 months on the scene, political as hell, with a couple of eps under their belts, these guys have made a big impact on the east coast with a stage show quite unlike any other. Imagine an escaped psyche patient having a meth rage tantrum with a basket full of toys and instruments, a chaotic and delightfully shambolic spectacle.
The Rebel Assholes are a band who formed in 2003 and feature members living in Belfort (France), Strasbourg (France) and Estavayer-le-Lac (Switzerland). Their current line up is Jérémy Costantini (Jean Rem) (lead vocals/guitar), Eric Heuberger (Vava) (bass/backing vocals), Mathieu Bon (Math) (guitar) and Nicolas Koune (Koune 2000) (drums). Amongst their influences they list the likes of Burning Heads, Hot Water Music, Foo Fighters etc. You can get more info on them here : https://www.facebook.com/rebelassholes/
Earlier this year they released a 5 track ep titled (Headed for) dysphoria and now there's a new video for one of the tracks on it. The ep sees former guitarist Jean Rem back in the band and taking over on lead vocals following the departure of founder member Jean Loose. It also sees Dani Llamas from Spanish band G.A.S. Drummers guesting on closing track A New World In Our Hearts. You can check it out here : https://therebelassholes.bandcamp.com/album/ep-headed-for-dysphoria-2019
With social unrest very much a topical subject in France, this is both timely and passionate, it's called Heads On Pikes...
Hopefully you're in the mood for something a little more dreamy today....
Vivian Girls are from Brooklyn and formed in 2007. They released 3 albums and a bunch of singles and gained themselves plenty of fans & rave reviews. Then in 2014 they went their separate ways.
Fast forward to Spring 2018 and they started playing together again. Lining up with Cassie Ramone (guitar/vocals), Katy Goodman (bass/vocals) and Ali Koehler (drums) they've also been busy in the studio. Their first album in 8 years came out last week, it's titled Memory, and it's a joy. It's an album that deals with "toxic relationships, the false promise of new love, mental health struggles and finding ways to accept oneself amidst it all." Dark subject matter enveloped in a gorgeous indie rock surround. If you're one of those people that'll click on a Bandcamp link and play a couple of songs before short attention span gets the better of you then try your best to stick around as one of the album's high points comes in the shape of closing track, Waiting In The Car. As a final destination it's definitely worth reaching, the trip to get there is a treat. Check it out... https://viviangirlsnyc.bandcamp.com/album/memory
This song is another definite highlight, it reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on (My Bloody Valentine? Aislers Set?). It's called Sick....
Hopefully you'll agree with me when I say that I think there's been some great songs on here this week and hopefully you'll agree that the one you're getting today ain't half bad either. It's by a band that are making what I think is their 4th appearance and they always prove popular, they're called Judy And The Jerks, they hail from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and I've previously called them whacked out weirdos and an off kilter buzzbomb of garage influenced punk fun.
The reason for their reappearance is the release of a new 5 track ep titled Bone Spur, it's available on cassette or digitally on Bandcamp as a name your price download : https://judyandthejerks.bandcamp.com/album/bone-spur
As well as the ep, there's also an East Coast Fall tour to tell you about. If you're from that neck of the woods then you can catch them here :
Sept 30 - Asheville,NC - Stable Boy Handjob, Kadre @ Lazy Diamond Oct 1 - Washington D.C. - Holographic, Holy Child @ Slash Run Oct 2 - Baltimore, MD - Glue Traps, Cold Feet @ Holy Frijoles Oct 3 - NYC, NY - Not Amused, PosterBoy2000 @ Brooklyn Bazaar Oct 4 - Philadelphia, PA - UV-TV, Mack Enemy, fracture @ Cousin Danny's Oct 5 - Richmond, VA - Cement Shoes, Kuni @ VSC Oct 6 - Birmingham, AL - Punk Rock Flea Market
On this track, vocalist Julie Gore sings about being tired of living in the south and wanting to move to California to start a band (and get on the cover of Maximum RocknRoll... just like Black Flag). Meanwhile the Jerks, (Austin Griffith, Hampton Martin and Sarah Krock) strum and bang away with energy and invention. It's called California...
Is it just me, or is 2019 turning out to be a wonderful year for punk music? There's been a large number of album of the year contenders already released and today you're getting a song from yet another addition to that list.
Slow Faction, the London punk band featuring Kit Gould (drums), Umbi Liszka (bass), Lee Peterson (rhythm guitar) and John Youens (guitar & vocals) are like a talented artist painting a portrait of what they see happening around them. Their canvas is a bleak affair... John's lyrics describe failed politicians putting our country up for sale, he shakes his head in despair as president orange brands anti fascists as terrorists, he calls out the haters who long for a country that never actually existed, he tells little Tommy name-change that he and his knuckle draggers aren't welcome round here. Slow Faction.... a politically charged band describing a landscape darkened by greedy, crooked politicians and racist bully boys. A band influenced by punk's early days that are sadly, 40 years down the line, still having to shine a light on pretty much all the issues that their forebears rose up in protest against. Another influence, Woody Guthrie, was singing songs like these before pretty much anyone reading this was even born and one of his most famous songs gets the Slow Faction treatment on their new album (All You Fascists... is a bonus track). Tragically it's still very relevant.
The album's called Unilateral Declaration Of Independence and it's their best work yet. The cd version should be ready for release by the 5th October but the digital version is already on Bandcamp as a name your price download : https://slowfaction.bandcamp.com/
The song I'm highlighting today is a brooding 5 minute masterpiece titled Oblivion...
A
claustrophobic place to live Rigid rules and discipline A
hostile legacy Of the previous century An anxious
childhood full of pain No understanding, only blame A
suicide attempt in vain So they had him sent away
He
just wants to stay at home He has to try to be alone By
day he dreams of peace Of idyllic domestic bliss But
he knows that the wolf inside Can never be satisfied Until
it takes control In the struggle for his soul…
As
darkness falls, turn down the lights – oblivion He dies a
little more each night – oblivion Dull the ego, numb the
pain – oblivion No strength left to live or die So
he dies his ‘little death’ each night
The city’s
calling with its lights A different world comes out at
night
Cabaret
and music halls He can’t resist the siren calls Gambling
dens and red-lit bars He knows all the secret doors By
night he gives in to lust By day only
self-disgust
Internal dissonance External
decadence As the dreams of Weimar fade A polarised
confusion reigns There’s fighting on the streets As
the nationalist fever grows As the old order falls apart He
escapes into his own world
So now the sun’s setting on
the old regime as politics diverges to the far extremes A
populist danger is infecting the land as they look for the ones who
will make a stand What else can he do? Now the fascists are
in power… What else can he do? When they label him a
danger… What else can he do? When the Death Camps are
waiting… What else can he do?
Speed Week are a 4 piece Melbourne punk band featuring Andy, Brad, Elliott and Ryan. I don't know much about them and their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/speedweekband/) isn't exactly a goldmine of info but I'm guessing they've not been together too long as all they've got on their Bandcamp page is March's Growing Pains/Ethical Boy single and the song you'll find at the bottom of this update.
As I can't write much about the band to pad out this introduction I suppose I better say something about the song....
Wow! Musically It's very decent garage influenced punk but the lyrics and the sentiment behind them strike a chord. Add the couldn't care less Aussie drawl and it elevates Speed Week up amongst numerous Down Under acts that I'll be keeping an eye on in the knowledge that there's plenty more in their tank. "I'm so sick of everything, fuck this, into the pit. I'm overworked, I'm underpaid, fuck this, into the pit. I'm so sick of everything, fuck this, into the pit." I get where you're coming from guys! Fuck those who want you to get a shitty job, fuck society, fuck capitalism, fuck being exploited, take a leap of faith and jump Into The Pit....
A 71 second blast of scratchy, lo fi nihilism today courtesy of the wonderfully named Kool & the Gang Bangers. They're from Little Rock, Arkansas and remind me a little of Buck Biloxi And The Fucks. Minimalist punk rock songs that don't outstay their welcome, cheap & cheerfully recorded and very good indeed. They've just released what I assume is their debut ep, it's 7 tracks in less than 10 minutes with lyrics about wanting to hide away at home, deadbeats that want your spare change or they'll stab you in the face, losers with nothing better to do than watch tv, not wanting to hang around with people that are full of shit etc....
Chain Whip are a hardcore punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia featuring Josh Nickel (ex Fashionism on vocals), Joel Butler (Nervous Talk/Corner Boys on guitar), Brett Thompson (Stress Eating on bass) and Patrick Bertrand (Corner Boys on drums). They released a Christmas Demo in 2017, followed it up with last year's Self Titled 7"ep and have recently resurfaced with an explosive debut album titled 14 Lashes. It was released on vinyl (https://www.neonwaste.com/store/chain-whip-14-lashes-lp) and it's available digitally on Bandcamp : https://chainwhip.bandcamp.com/album/14-lashes
If you're new to Chain Whip but familiar with the members' other bands then you may be in for a little shock to the system as instead of top notch power pop-punk you'll get an aural gut punch. Melody is traded for energy. Definitely a case of shorter, faster, louder but it still has tunes you can latch onto. Strap in, hold onto your hats and enjoy the ride.
Big Brother are a 3 piece band from Toronto who formed in 2013 and who mix up fast punk tunes with liberal doses of ska. Their aim is to make music that makes you think. They've recently released a new 6 track ep titled Hate Week and the core line up on it is Chris Spadafora (vocals/guitar), Ian Wilkinson (vocals/bass) and Spenser Murray (drums). There's also been contributions from The Filthy Radicals' Dave Boxenbaum (keyboards) and Andrew DeNure (sax/trumpet) whilst a couple of tracks featured guest vocals from Andrew Younger and Eric Crowley.
Next month they're heading off to play in Japan for the first time where they'll be headlining the Antiknock 34th Anniversary and you can get more info here : https://www.facebook.com/BigBrotherTo/
The new ep impressed me. The punk outweighs the ska for the most part although the popular skacore theme of being infested by bugs features on one of my favourite tracks. Elsewhere there's songs about your freedom of choice merely being an illusion, blissful insanity, finding the answers to your problems instead of wallowing in self pity and the lack of empathy in modern society.
I'll play a different track on tomorrow's Just Some Punk Songs show (https://www.facebook.com/events/236980510574377/) but today I'm highlighting a song about how even good men can be led by circumstance to do bad things, it's called Eye In The Sky...
He wanted to be a cop He thought of all the bad guys he could stop He wanted to do some good He thought he'd bring justice to his neighborhood
He never thought he would struggle to get by He never thought that he would become the bad guy He never put any bullets in his gun He never thought he'd have to hurt anyone
But he had, a kid on the way And he knew, it'd grow the same way He had to take this job, to pay for the school So his kid could have, a life he could not
He's at the bank, he hands the bank teller a note "Give me all your money" I gotta gun hiding under my coat She sounds the silent alarm The cops are on their way Please lead me to the vault, I haven't got all day He hears the siren and he know's that hes gotta bail He isn't interested in spending life in jail But they, they followed him They had, an eye in the sky They could see the town They tracked him down He threw away his gun He threw up his hands But they shot him anyway
Today, The Toy Dolls..... You'd have thought that a band that formed way back in 1979 in Sunderland would be slowing down a bit by now but I suppose when you've got a 40th anniversary to celebrate, what better way to do it than to head out on a massive European tour (taking in Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, Poland, Holland and the UK). As well as taking their own unique brand of musical madness out on the road, there's also a new album, their first for 8 years, it's titled Episode XIII and it's available on cd from Secret Records https://www.secretrecordslimited.com/store/p666/The_Toy_Dolls_-_Episode_XIII_-_CD.html
The band lines up with Olga (Michael Algar) on vocals & guitar, Tommy Goober (Thomas Blyth from Goober Patrol) on bass and The Amazing Mr Duncan (Duncan Redmonds from Snuff, another excellent and long lasting UK band that've also just released a new album) on drums. You can get more info, including tour dates, here : https://www.facebook.com/TheToyDollsOfficial/
Amongst the absurd-ditties on Episode XIII are tunes about smarmy French pianist Richard Clayderman (he ain't no Bobby Crush!), Arthur Clark (a dark horse who's supposedly had more birds than Errol Flynn) a woman with a rapidly expanding waistline who loves waffles and Steven (a guy who likes wearing his partner's clothes). You won't be surprised to learn it's fun, and it's very good.
There's also a song about a thug who claims to have once beaten Henry Cooper (despite a lack of any evidence) but who nowadays just nuts bus conductors and slaps shop keepers. This is Benny The Boxer...
As soon as I started listening to this introductory demo from Liverpool 3 piece Hey Maxine! my first thoughts were 1) hell, that's good and 2) it sounds like something Crackle! Records would have put out a few years ago. Then I investigated further and discovered the guitarist/vocalist with the band was none other than Mark Murphy of Crocodile God (a band who are no strangers to that label). It's not just Mark that has an impressive résumé though, his bandmate's are none other than Mark Magill (Down And Outs) on bass and vocals and Gabrielle Dos Santos (Pardon Us) on drums and vocals. You'd think it'd be pretty much impossible for a band boasting that amount of talent to be anything less than fantastic and on the evidence presented by the 5 tracks on the demo you'd be dead right.
They play "simple pop-punk" and sound not too dissimilar to their other bands (which is a good thing). Short and sweet with only one of the tracks breaking the 2 minute mark, the ep is extremely promising. It's melodic, catchy and available as a name your price download on Bandcamp : https://heymaxine.bandcamp.com/album/demo-19
Vancouver trio Corner Boys featured on here earlier this year with a track from their excellent debut album Waiting For 2020 (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/04/corner-boys-waiting-for-2020.html). They're back today with a song that was recorded during the sessions for the album but for whatever reason didn't make the final cut. As a thank you to fans, the band have released a collection of unreleased "B-Sides" which as well as the aforementioned song also includes a couple more recorded in 2017 as part of the sessions for their Just Don't Care 7" and their excellent cover of the Martha And The Muffins' classic Echo Beach (I'll play that on next Sunday's Just Some Punk Songs show).
If you want more band info, including details of a gig later this week with DOA and Chain Whip then go here : https://www.facebook.com/CornerBoysBC/ Then on September 28th they'll be playing with BA Johnston at Pat's Pub. This will be their last ever gig before they sadly split up.
So, tracks 1 & 2, nice rough and ready power pop-punk tunes Deadbeat Heart and Speed Dial Love, track 3, an impressive bouncy version of Echo Beach and track 4, a very catchy singalong (is that a Buzzcocks guitar riff I hear hidden in there?) who's omission from the album just demonstrates how bloody strong that lp was. This is I'm Not Sorry....
A new band to me today, they're a 3 piece called Anxious Living and the members of the band are from Singapore and the US and have featured in the likes of Constant Insult, Daily Ritual, SIAL, Lubricant, Abrasion and a bunch more. The line up is Azril, Izzad Radzali Shah and Kathleen Thornton. Their sound is "dark garage/post-punk inspired by cemetery research, space debris and anxiety" and their influences include Wipers, Mission Of Burma and The Estranged.
The ep features 4 original compositions plus a cover of The Wipers' Wait A Minute. Don't let the description dark post-punk lead you into thinking it's all gloomy goth inspired darkwave. Yeah it's atmospheric but it's also fairly jaunty and utilises both male and female vocals to produce a heady brew. I'm highlighting track 3 today, it appears to be about the part of space that satellites are moved to at the end of their operational life to reduce the probability of colliding with operational spacecraft and generating space debris. It's titled Graveyard Orbit...
Next year sees the 40th anniversary of anarcho-punk band Subhumans. Most bands that have been slogging away for the best part of 4 decades are striving in vain to relive past glories. They're still pulling in the punters to their live shows but new material is either far removed from what the fans lapped up back in the day or a disappointing attempt to replicate their "hits." I've got to be honest, I first caught Subhumans live back in the early 90's (in Morecambe at either Holidays In The Sun or Wasted (I can't remember what name the Rebellion Festival went by that particular year)) and I was half expecting a tired out old band. I couldn't have been more wrong, they played an electrifying set to a packed venue. Bearing that in mind, even though their new album, Crisis Point, is their first in over a decade, I was expecting it to be good. Again I was wrong, it isn't good, it's great.
The line up on the album is Dick Lucas (vocals and words), Bruce Treasure (guitar/vocals), Phil Bryant (bass/vocals) and Trotsky (drums). The playing is powerful, fast and furious with plenty of energy but the main raison d'etre for the band still being around in 2019 is that they've got plenty to say. Dick's words and forceful delivery are the highlight. With the human race seemingly being unable or unwilling to open their eyes and see what's going on in the world, bands like Subhumans are more important than ever. It's just a shame more people won't get to hear it, society would be a better place if this was the kind of stuff they taught in schools.
So what's the message? It's that tempers and temperatures are rising hand in hand. It's that the air, the sea, your food and your brain are full of poison. It's that the 1% exploit the 99% and we let them do it. It's that we're being slowly neutered by out tv screens. It's that we should think for ourselves. It's an album everyone should listen to and it's available on vinyl, cd & cassette from Pirates Press Records : https://shop.piratespressrecords.com/collections/subhumans/products/subhumans-crisis-point-12-lp-cd-cassette
There's plenty of highlights, on yesterday's JSPS show I played Atom Screen War, but today I'm going with Poison...
the sea is full of plastic bags are full of ready meals are full of slaughtered animals who never saw a field saturate with chemicals to streamline the supply im not sure what you're eating but at least it fills you up right?
CH: poison- the air is full of poison the food is full of poison poison- the water's full of poison your brain is full of poison
the road to breathing normally is full of toxic air commuters on computers staying sick and unaware of the daily breathing in and out of pesticide and waste geoengineering us to keep us in our place CH our food is full of poison but its cheaper that way our measure of survival is the price we pay thats why the rich live longer its not because they're stronger its cos they keep the rest of us on minimum wage CH when the earth dries up and the food runs out all the money in the world won't help you out cancer dementia poverty prevention clean up your act avoid extinction
the Middle Ages are a 3 piece from Seattle featuring Dan Wood (guitar/vocals), Cris Wood (bass/vocals) and Donnie Hilstad (drums). Before moving to Seattle, frontman Dan previously featured in Bay area bands such as The Pets, RAZZ, Tropical Sleep etc. Donnie Hilstad had a brief spell with garage punks The Statics back in the mid 90's and more recently was a member of The Duchess And The Duke.
A new band to me today with a review courtesy of Adam "Baldy" Mishkin....
A short sharp slap to the face of a punk tune! Sounding like a retrospective bit of musical nostalgia, but this is a new song, a recent offering from a local legend in my home town Perth WA - Australia. You can hear and feel the dirt, the gutter, the mean streets, the years of struggle and sweat, the raw emotion in the music and the vocals. A new band put together from the cream of the crops in my local scene. 'Stem' is the bassist is this band, Sick Pose, and an old rock n roller and was part of a legendary rock n roll/punk rock outfit here called THE LUNGS. Good shit live, had a partially toothless crazy front man, with a mullet, and they were fucking great lol. A fella called 'Undies' who plays guitar in this band, a seasoned local scene goer/musician and a shredder of a guitarist. Check his solo's in a couple of their other recently released tunes if you can. And then there's Don, or Donny Rat. The local legend on the vocals in this. Also a founding member of the crazy good rock n roll/punk rock band that was also from Perth. The Rats. If you love old school rock n roll, dirty street rock n roll, 70's punk rock with a harder edged Aussie flavour, then you will love The Rats. He was also in Sub Rosa, The Homicides and Raw Nerve, amongst others. A main stay of the Perth punk scene. He had taken a break from music for a while. now he's back in this band - Sick Pose. Happy to be doing our first gig (Skin Damage) supporting Sick Pose, pretty much the only real street punk band in Perth WA atm. There's couple others, but def not in the same vein. Can't recommend this band more, if you are into a proper bit of good ol down n dirty Aussie flavoured in your face old skool 'fuck you' style punk rock. Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/barrypacker77/
Spermbirds shouldn't need much in the way of an introduction, they formed back in 1982 in Kaiserslautern and currently have members in Cologne, Berlin and Saarbrücken. One of Germany's biggest punk bands, they toured plenty, put out some classic and much loved releases (including their 1986 debut album, Nothing To Prove) and then in 1990 they split up. This was only a temporary state of affairs though as 3 years later they reformed and they've been touring and releasing great music ever since.
The line up of the band hasn't changed too much over the last 3 and a half decades and currently features ex US GI Lee Hollis (vocals), Markus Weilemann (bass), Steve Wiles (guitar), Roger Ingenthron (guitar) and Beppo Götte (drums). Today sees the release of their 9th studio album, it's titled Go To Hell Turn Left and it's a co release between German Label Rookie Records and the UK's Boss Tuneage.
So initial impressions on the album, despite a 9 year gap since previous album A Columbus Feeling, this ain't the sound of a tired old band going through the motions. It's a band with plenty of gas left in the tank and plenty still to say. They still rock as hard as ever and when I played the blistering title track on a recent Just Some Punk Songs show (https://www.mixcloud.com/mick-fletcher/just-some-punk-songs-010919/) the guys in the chatroom went wild.
This is the latest single from the album, From This Direction Comes War...
Boss of Tadpole Records (a label which is now seemingly no more though the Youtube channel still gets regularly updated https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCNQ94EnA_DMB-9wd9eilmg) Darren Bourne has kindly taken the time out to share his thoughts on one of his favourite releases of the year. I've chosen the song at the bottom of the update...
Obsessió – Obsessió
12” MLP
Sometimes I hear that
Punk's Dead, I find this a crazy statement in 2019 as there seem to be
a ton of great bands around right now, and some as pissed off
sounding (or more so) than the classics out there. Obsessió are one
such band with members from Athens & Barcelona and they've just
released a MLP on La Vida Es Un Mus from London. This 8 track MLP of
raging raw Hardcore hasn’t got a track longer than 2 minutes long &
that’s fine by me, for fans of TOTALITÄR, CRUDITY, OTAN and other
Nordic Beat greats.
Sleeve artwork is by Teodoro Hernández (Otan,
System Defector, etc) who effortlessly captures the bleakness and
rage contained in this PUNK 45 RPM 12”.
I think along with the
Irreal “Fi Del Mon” LP (also on LVEUM) this will end up on a lot
of “Best Of” lists at the end of the year, the more raw Hardcore
being released the better in my opinion, now I just need to see these
bands live as that’s where the magic’s at.
Wonk Unit are back with a new song that perfectly encapsulates their off beat take on punk rock. I saw someone (you know who you are!) recently saying they weren't a fan of the band and comparing them to Splodgenessabounds (ie a comedy band that aren't really worth spending much time on). Firstly, Splodge put out a few classics and secondly, not everyone in the punk genre has to be serious. Sometimes it's good to have a different view of the world. I doubt any of Wonk Unit's many fans will mind in the least that they've released a plentiful catalogue of catchy and fun music. They're a great band but I suppose, horses for courses and all that...
Anyway, the new song. It's about selfish people on bikes who ride two abreast and hold up the traffic. It's based on a true story of how Alex Brindle Johnson and his merry band of wonkers were in the van on the way to a festival when they got stuck down a country lane in a procession of traffic that had built up behind two pedalling pricks. Instead of frustration and road rage (or quite possibly born of frustration and road rage), they wrote a song about it. As my friend might complain, "it's not punk..." and maybe strictly speaking, that's the case. But what's punk in 2019 if not a wide umbrella under which people who are punk at heart are free to do what the hell they like?
The Anxieties are a garage punk 4 piece who formed in Eugene but are now based in Portland, Oregon, whose current line up features Scott Von Rocket (vocals/guitar), Travis Thoughtcrime (bass/vocals), Erik Electron (lead guitar/vocals) and Tommy Tension (drums). They list amongst their influences the likes of Adolescents, Agent Orange, Hex Dispensers, Marked Men and Sharp Objects (and if anyone knows what the hell happened to Sharp Objects and their promised 2nd album please let me know!). Their sound has been described as sounding "like an apocalyptic mash-up of early '80s Southern Californian melodic hardcore, '90s Rip Off Records trash and a Red Bull fuelled all-night sci-fi and horror movie marathon..." Looking back in the JSPS archives I'm surprised to find they don't seem to have appeared on here before though I have featured a song by their side project, The Jabronis... https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2015/10/jabronis-i-dont-wanna-listen-to-radio.html
Think Tod Browning, think Ramones' Pinhead, think catchy, fun and fast and you won't be far off getting the vibe I think they were aiming for in this song. It's about a seemingly doomed relationship and it's called Sideshow Freak...
You look at me like a sideshow freak, yeah And you treat me like a circus geek, yeah Go ahead and point and laugh now Someday you're gonna face my wrath now
You look at me like I'm a pinhead And you treat me just like you want me dead You look at me like I'm insane Well, I look at you and I feel the same
Like a sideshow, like a sideshow freak...
You look at me like the bearded lady Do it all the time and it drives me crazy Think you got the answers like a fortune teller Want to keep me locked in the cellar
Think I'm fake like a Fiji mermaid Try to tear me down like it's some kind of crusade Think you run the show like a ring master This is gonna end up in disaster
Shooting Daggers are a new hardcore punk 3 piece from London who've recently released the impressive Demo 2019 ep. The line up of the band is Godinha (drums), Beatrice (bass) and Salomé (vocals/guitar). As well as the demo, they feature on the 25 track compilation from Hell Hath No Fury Records which is titled #SolidarityNotSilence Compilation (Pt 1). All proceeds from the comp go towards the women facing defamation case for speaking up https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/solidaritynotsilence/
The Demo features 3 pounding tracks of rumbling aggression. It's a very promising calling card and you can snap it up as a name your price download : https://shootingdaggers.bandcamp.com/releases
The Enlows are a 3 piece powerpop/punk band from Sacramento who've been together since 1999 and who count amongst their influences the likes of Ramones, The Mopes, Riverdales, MR T Experience, The Queers etc etc etc. With a line up of Ry Arwai (vocals/guitar), Ryan Reliable (bass/vocals) and Jeff Melendez (drums) they've recently released an album titled Take Aim. They've released a number of singles over the course of the last 20 years but this is their first proper album and it's really rather good. 10 tracks of "quick, punchy power pop rock", it's available on cd from the ever reliable Outloud! Records and it's also on Bandcamp :
So the album... it's fun. It doesn't aim to break new ground, it's the sound of a band who can write catchy tunes doing just that. There's the occasional sci fi type noises and keyboards but otherwise it's mostly your typical Ramones influenced bass, guitar, drum back beat, with super melodic vocals (plus a rather cool harmonica on Raider Of Hearts). Maybe not an album for those who like to pummel their ears into submission but for the rest of us, a joy.
They've released a video for one of the songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6io5e6FdkM) but I've chosen a different track to highlight today. This is gorgeous, it's called Last Days On Earth...
It was a very busy day yesterday for Slovenly Recordings as they put out several new releases. One of the best, the new album by Control Freaks, saw the title track feature on here a few weeks ago and has just received a great review from Josh on his Faster And Louder blog (http://fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-control-freaks-shes-bomb.html) so today I'm posting a song from an excellent band from Vancouver called Sore Points.
I was impressed with their debut, Self Titled, album which came out last year on Deranged Records (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/09/sore-points-gone-away.html) and I'm not in the least bit surprised that the new ep is equally as good. It's titled Not Alright, boasts 4 furious blasts of primitive punk rock in it's 6 minute run time and left me with a difficult task of selecting a favourite to post on this update. You'll enjoy the song I've chosen but to be honest, just go to Bandcamp and listen to the full ep. Vinyl collectors can order the physical release whilst they're there : https://slovenly.bandcamp.com/album/sore-points-not-alright-ep A word of warning though, don't expect to just spend 6 minutes of your time listening as once track 4 fades out you'll be wanting to click play on track 1 again.
