Red London - Symphony For The Skins

  The 3rd band from the north east of England in 3 days today...

  Red London (https://www.facebook.com/Red-London-Punk-Band-Page-2039397602797189/) are a long running band from Sunderland who formed in 1981 and who's influences include the likes of The Clash, Angelic Upstarts, SLF, Chelsea and the band who released the song they took their name from, Sham 69. Old school and proud, big melodic singalong anthems are very much the order of the day.

  They've recently released their first album since they reformed. It's titled Symphony For The Skins and it sees the band lining up thus; Patty Smith (vocals), Gaz Stoker (bass), John Forster (drums), Mick Jones (guitar) and Dave Jones (guitar). Mick and Dave were on loan from Red Alert for the album and have now returned and been replaced by new recruits Danny Collings (lead guitar) and Marty Jackson (rhythm guitar).

  Long term fans will recognise a few of the tracks as re recorded versions of old favourites feature (Wish The Lads Were Here, 48 Reasons & This Is England), whilst I think the biggest recommendation I can give the album overall is that the new songs match them all the way.

  You can get it from Mad Butcher Records... https://commerce.madbutcher.de/de/musik/mad-butcher-music/mad-butcher-records/vinyl/red-london-symphony-for-the-skins-lp-cd

  This is the title track, Symphony For The Skins...

Uproar - Bread and Circuses

  Conspiracy of clowns control the day...

  Uproar (https://www.facebook.com/UproarPunkRock/) are the County Durham punk band who formed in 1980 as The Demented. They changed their name a year later following the death of vocalist Stephen "Steppa" Thompson. They released a couple of albums (And The Lord Said "Let There Be!" (1983) and Never Forgive (1985)) and a few 7"'s before splitting up. They reformed many years later and released another album in 2017 titled Waiting For The Revolution, the title track from which I featured here : https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/05/uproar-waiting-for-revolution.html. There was also the The Time Is Coming 7" out the same year.

  The 2020 incarnation of the band sees original members Dave Cook and Stu Henderson alongside 80's stalwart Gav Scollen and more recent recruit James Thoroughgood (from Kickback Generation). They've a new ep which was a physical release timed to coincide with the bands appearance at last year's Rebellion Festival and is now available digitally. It's titled We The North and you can check it out here : https://open.spotify.com/album/2Ep2xSyTKXcDNMetXXgtUx

  The title track kicks off proceedings and it's a pacy singalong about the economic divide between north and south that'll stick in your head (I'll play it on next Sunday's Just Some Punk Songs show). Bread And Circuses is a political call for change. Always Remember Me (JRF) is sentimental song about missing a loved one (I feel I should know who it's about and the story behind it but I don't) and You Decide rounds off a very impressive ep by asking whether you should turn the other cheek or push to the front ready to fight. It's no bells and whistles old school punk rock from a band that are sounding as good as ever and who can write both a good tune and intelligent lyrics.

  This song is called Bread And Circuses...

Diaz Brothers - Melancholy Hand Grenades

  Diaz Brothers (https://www.facebook.com/DiazBrothersSunderland/) are the melodic punk 5 piece from Sunderland featuring past and current members of several other bands the most notable being HDQ. Featuring Callum Hewitt, Dave Golledge, Max Hakius, Mick Jones and Neil Cox they formed after it was decided it wouldn't be right to carry on as HDQ following the sad passing of guitarist Dickie Hammond. They've just released a debut Self Titled album and it's as good as you'd expect from a bunch of musicians with such pedigree.

  It's pretty much impossible to talk about a band from Sunderland and mention both Dickie Hammond and HDQ without bringing up that city's best band, Leatherface. They were kings of the melodic hardcore punk genre and they cast a long shadow for Diaz Brothers to walk in. They were always going to garner comparisons and whilst I'd say the debut album was always going to find it difficult to match my favourite Leatherface album (Mush) it does stand up well when compared with latter day albums such as the excellent The Stormy Petrel. This is a band that are masters of their craft and in Dave Golledge they've a frontman with the vocal talent to do justice to some well crafted and often aggressive music. 

  The album is available on vinyl (with cd included) from Boss Tunage   http://bosstuneage.bigcartel.com/product/diaz-brothers-diaz-brothers-lp-with-cd-included

  You can listen here : https://diazbrothers.bandcamp.com/releases

  It's hard to choose a favourite song as they're all pretty much punching at the same weight. Every tracks a winner but I'm going with Melancholy Hand Grenades...

NOi!SE - Lost

 

  Tacoma streetpunks NOi!SE (https://www.facebook.com/destinycitynoise/) are no strangers to Just Some Punk Songs but it's been a couple of years since I featured their Mass Apathy single so it's good to have them back today with one of their two new singles. Lining up with Matt Henson (vocals/bass), Nate Leinfelder (vocals/rhythm guitar), Jesse O'Donnell (lead guitar) and Kenny Dirkes (drums), they dropped the first of those singles, the one you'll find below, a few days ago. It's available from Pirate's Press Records on 12" UV digitally printed vinyl (limited edition, 500 copies) and as a digital download : https://shop.piratespressrecords.com/products/noi-se-lost-12-single

  The other single is called Price We Pay and is on 7" orange vinyl (1000 copies). It targets the prison-industrial complex and delivers an important message on behalf of those that may not share the same privileges as many of us do. You can get it here :   https://shop.piratespressrecords.com/collections/new-featured-music/products/noi-se-price-we-pay-7-orange

  Matt Henson has always had one of the most distinctive voices around and he's sounding both on top form and very passionate as he asks if anger and greed have led us so far astray we can't find our way back. A triumphant return from a vital band. This is called Lost...

Far from what we know A fire burned the shores While we drifted out to sea Lured out by a lie disguised as fate Doom disguised as dreams What has anger done? What have we become? Drifted out to sea so far we can’t return Greed has made us leave a place we should’ve stayed Are we burning everything our fathers made False perception that we see Telling us that ignorance protects identity If only there was light To guide us back to being Better than the people we became when we drifted out to sea For a false identity What has anger done? What have we become? Drifted out to sea so far we can’t return Greed has made us leave a place we should’ve stayed Are we burning everything our fathers made What has anger done? What have we become? Drifted out to sea so far we can’t return Greed has made us leave a place we should’ve stayed Are we burning everything our fathers made

 

Who Killed Nancy Johnson? - Trash

  Forming in 2015, Reading post-punks Who Killed Nancy Johnson? (https://www.facebook.com/WhoKilledNancyJohnson/) are a band I've featured on here several times and I usually mention that they're getting better with every release and so I was always going to be interested in hearing how their debut album turned out. Yesterday that album was released and after a couple of plays I think it's safe to say that all expectations have been met. They drip fed us 3 songs so we knew more or less what we were getting but I'm happy to report that the unheard 7 tracks are the equal of what's come previously.

  A quick catch up if you're unfamiliar with the band. The line up is Stefan Ball (Vocals), Pete Moulton (Guitar/Vocals), Mark Wren (Drums/Vocals) and Dawid Bychowski (Bass). They've previously released several eps & singles which you should check out. Their music is atmospheric and reminds me a little of early Killing Joke.

  I see Six is tagged on Bandcamp as Dystopian so it's no surprise that the title is riffing on a scene in George Orwell's 1984 when Winston Smith is punished for believing his own eyes rather that The Party's version of reality. Sadly Orwell's prediction of the future is all to close to home in the way that our leaders tell us one thing despite it being pretty obvious (in the words of the song I'm featuring today) they're talking trash ("the words and the pictures clash"). Another slogan favoured by Big Brother was "Ignorance Is Strength" and that seems to be very much a mantra shared by those currently in power.

  On album opener Not Lizards, the band tell us not to believe the conspiracy theories about the economic elite being lizards or aliens but that we should see them for what they really are, a cancerous part of the human race. This theme continues with City as we're told how the wealthy elite have always walked among us and on Communist, the band wonder why people are considered childish if they want things to be fair and want people to be more considerate both towards each other and to the world we all inhabit. Album closer Notre Dame compares the famous Paris cathedral with the seemingly impregnable power wielded by the ruling classes and suggests that like the medieval monument maybe the elite will one day fall.... "Let it burn" being the album's closing sentence. It's an album very relevant to the world we live in today and possibly the world as it's always been.

  It's available on cd and digitally : https://wknancyj.bandcamp.com/album/i-see-six
 
  It seems pretty obvious who this song is about and it's a good summation of the album's themes of misinformation and the smoke and mirrors ethos of those in power. It's called Trash...

Roguish twinkle in your eye you must have been a naughty boy at school Bluff and candid when it suits a charming disregard for every rule It’s hard to shake the feeling your attempt to act appealing’s aimed at fools You’re talking trash The words and pictures clash You’re talking trash Well I’m waiting hoping some day truth might break And we’ll believe we’ll have to say it every day: We made a big mistake Listening to your trash Rhetoric instead of fact And it was all a load of crap Everything you say, everything you write, every manifesto you create, every number you make up, every story you cobble together, every principle you pretend you have, is trash Shut up

Kool & The Gang Bangers - Television Victim

  Just Some Punk Songs regulars will hopefully be familiar with Swedish lo-fi garage sensations Kool & The Gang Bangers. The brainchild of seasoned musician Kool who sings and and is ably supported by his merry band of Gang Bangers. He's been putting out some great diy releases over the last few months and has attracted the attention of No Front Teeth Records who're bringing that music to a wider audience. If you're a fan of raw punk rock, then you need Feel Bad Music in your life. 16 scuzzy rockers dealing with subjects such as misanthropy, wanting to hide away indoors, not wanting to answer the phone, working the graveyard shift etc... There's even a cover of a song by fellow countrymen The Dirts (https://thedirts.bandcamp.com/ ).

  You can get various versions of the album; black vinyl, black vinyl with red flipback sleeve (ltd to 50 copies), the Feel Bad Pack (black vinyl lp, T Shirt and pin badge) and the digital download :   https://koolandthegangbangers.bandcamp.com/album/feel-bad-music

  This track is about having nothing better to do with your life than sit around in front of the goggle box. it's like GG Allin fronting The Ramones with KBD Records capturing the results on a bootleg.  It's called Television Victim...

Shark Toys - Out of Time

  "That sounds as though it's from the 70's" said one of the Just Some Punk Songs listeners when I played a song from Los Angeles 4 piece Shark Toys (https://www.facebook.com/sharktoys/) on last week's show. "That's probably because it's a Desperate Bicycles cover" I replied. The song in question was Advice On Arrest and it's a great attempt to do justice to a classic. It's on a new ep that'll be out next month on Chunklet Industries. It's a second pressing with 3 extra tracks after the original single quickly sold out and you can check it out here : https://chunklet.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-time-5-song-ep

  Lining up with Daniel (Guitars/Vocals), Bill (Bass/Vocals), Emanuel (Drums) and Mike (Guitar), Shark Toys might hail from California but their music has garnered comparisons with Blighty bands such as Swell Maps and The Fall as well as fellow Americans Tyvek, Parquet Courts and Modern Lovers. Their songs are both catchy and quirky and if 5 songs doesn't sound enough, avail yourself of the name your price Live At The Teragram album they released last month : https://sharktoys.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-teragram

  Below you'll find the flip side to Advice On Arrest, it's called Out Of Time...

Gaffer - Skin Of Your Teeth

  One of the more interesting demos to come out so far in 2020 is a 7 track cassette from Gaffer. They're a band who hail from Perth (Australia) and they feature members of Cold Meat (https://staticshockrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hot-and-flustered) and Helta Skelta (https://heltaskeltarecords.bandcamp.com/album/nightclubbin-7). Mixing up elements of '70's and 80's punk and post punk they seethe with anger and frustration, musically they have an urgency that reminds the listener somewhat of Cold Meat and whilst the vocalist this time around is male he's still super pissed off. I'm almost tempted to say I'm getting oi vibes but that would lead you into thinking anthemic Cock Sparrer singalongs but it's not that, more a hard as nails Crown Court style gruffness and growl. It's certainly more of a UK sounding vocal delivery than it is an Aussie one. 

  You can get the cassette from Helta Skelta Records :   https://heltaskeltarecords.bigcartel.com/product/gaffer-demo-cs

  The digital version is here : https://heltaskeltarecords.bandcamp.com/album/demo-cs-2

  This song is about struggling to get by. You've no energy to get up, you're finding it hard to function. You've no real purpose, you're just about getting through life.

  It's called Skin Of Your Teeth...

   

Red Alert - Wounds That Never Heal

   Red Alert (https://www.facebook.com/redalertsunderland/) are the long running band from Sunderland who formed way back in 1979. They split in 1985 but it was a short lived parting of the ways and normal service was resumed 4 years later. The 2020 incarnation of the band sees original vocalist Steve "Cast Iron" Smith living just outside of Barcelona but still managing to carry out frontman duties ably aided and abetted by Mick Jones (guitar), Dave Jones (bass) and Axel Klempin (drums).

  With a strong anti racist & anti fascist ethos, they're possibly best known nowadays for the various "greatest hits" collections released by Captain Oi! Records but going off the evidence presented by their new record, they certainly aren't a tired old band traipsing round the punk gig circuit trading on past glories.

  The new record is a split ep with French oi band 1984. Both bands contribute a couple of tracks each and the ep's available on 10" vinyl (400 copies clear, 100 red) from Dirty Punk Records :   http://www.dirtypunk.fr/

  Too Many Goodbyes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RWPjxR6QRA) is a mid paced tribute to those rock n rollers that leave us too soon. The band's original guitarist Tony Van Frater sadly passed away in 2015 so I'm guessing he's very much the inspiration for this song.

  The other Red Alert track, is a singalong with a big chorus and you'll find it below. It's called Wounds That Never Heal...

  

SmileBand - Smile

  Another fresh faced new UK band for you today, this time they're from Kent and tag themselves post-punk. They're called SmileBand (https://www.facebook.com/SmileBandUK/) and feature a line up of Joe Francis (vocals), Rob Mckie (bass), Erik Miles (guitar) and Jacob Robinson (drums).

  They recently released a S/T debut ep on Body Drop Records. It opens with a 30 second intro before letting loose with the title track, a rampaging juggernaut sizzling with energy in which they urge us to cheer the hell up. They haven't politely knocked and introduced themselves, they've kicked the door of it's hinges and stormed in. You can find the video for it below.

  Next up is Rich Boy, It's starts with a slow burn intro (reminding me slightly of Nirvana's Come As You Are) before livening itself up and morphing into a shouty put down of someone living on mummy and daddy's wealth. Things are rounded off with the ep's longest track. Titled King, it builds slowly,  metronomic drum beat and wailing guitars lay down a wall of sound before bursting into life and proving SmileBand are yet another very promising young band keeping the punk scene very much alive.

  You can find the ep here : https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/smileband/smile-2

  This is Smile...

Bruise Control - Useless

 

  So it's Sunday which means later today there's a new Just Some Punk Songs show (all are welcome, there's even a chatroom in which you can comment on the bands that are being played :   https://www.facebook.com/events/617627672185743/). A couple of bands featuring this week are from the north west of England, are both new to me and have recently released debut ep's on a new label called Rad Noise Records (https://www.facebook.com/radnoiserecords/). Both bands, Spillage and Bruise Control sound very promising indeed so check them out, along with a bunch of other new releases, on the show later.

  For today's update, I'll be concentrating on Bruise Control. They're a 5 piece from Manchester who play an instantly recognisable style of shouty UK punk. It's familiar but fresh and it'll make you want to move around. They had a debut gig lined up for April but obviously this was scuppered by the pandemic. Once things start returning to normal and gigs resume I can easily envisage plenty of sweaty bodies bouncing around to their music. There's 4 tracks on the ep and they're all energetic and gnarly garage bangers.

 The ep was released on a cool looking yellow cassette but this seems to have quickly sold out. It's available as a name your price download though :  https://radnoiserecords.bandcamp.com/album/st

  This is the opening track and it also appears on a very good compilation called Punk Without Borders which features Spillage, Subhumans, Autonomads, Roughneck Riot, Pete Bentham And The Dinner Ladies and many more and which is in aid of Liverpool Migrant Solidarity Network :   https://liverpoolmigrantsolidarity.bandcamp.com/album/punk-without-borders 

  This is Useless...

Vintage Crop - Gridlock

  Vintage Crop (https://www.facebook.com/vintagecropband/) are the Geelong "band of musicians" who greatly impressed early last year when they released one of 2019's best eps. It was titled Company Man and the title track featured here :   https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/01/vintage-crop-company-man.html

  Hopes were always going to be high for new material and those expectations have skyrocketed even further after the release of new single Gridlock. It's blazing a trail for upcoming album Serve To Serve Again which will be out on August 7th as a split release between Anti Fade Records and Upset The Rhythm. You can pre order both vinyl and digital versions here :   https://vintagecrop.bandcamp.com/

  Not departing much from their signature sound, the new song suggests that Serve To Serve Again will hopefully continue where Company Man left off. When I played it on last week's Just Some Punk Songs show someone commented that there were a few Australian bands releasing this kind of stuff but for my money, Vintage Crop are up there with the best. It's an autobiographical tale written after getting caught up in traffic on the way to a gig and it's called Gridlock...

Dead Sheeran - Things Were Better in the Eighties

  As someone brought up on music made by groups of energetic guys and gals banging away on guitars, bass and drums (and the occasional keyboard) the idea of listening to an ep by someone sat at home during lockdown with just a laptop for company wasn't really getting my pulse pounding. It's all gonna be a bit underwhelming ain't it?

  Boy was I wrong. This is one of the year's best releases.

  Dead Sheeran is the alter ego of Paul Catten ("I have a bunch of other music out under my own name and I wanted to keep this separate"), a Sleaford Mods fan from the south eastern Herefordshire town of Ross On Wye. I played a track by him called The Fonz on a recent Just Some Punk Songs show and it turns out it was just the calling card for a terrific 6 track ep. Like the rest of the ep, it contains plenty of angry and razor sharp wordplay ("selfish bastards with enough toilet rolls to wipe a thousand arseholes"... "feds on pushbikes / cycling proficiency badge wankers / breaking up picnics / hi vis jackets and masks / try nicking the real criminals in this country... THE ONES IN FUCKING CHARGE!").

https://deadsheeran.bandcamp.com/releases

  And things continue in the same vein. Imagine half Man Half Biscuit if they were pissed off rather than wryly amused. We get spot on vignettes of puking pissheads rolling out of  'Spoons on a Sunday afternoon, self congratulatory vipers in the House Of Commons toasting their success as the death toll rises ever higher and Brexit voting gammons stalking the landscapes of dead end towns. As closing song, Wanking With Tear In My Eyes, tells us... there's nothing to see here, the country's in fucking tatters.

  It's not all topical angst though, there's also a nostalgic trip back in time to the days of Grange Hill, Hornby trains and Betamax video players. Things Were Better In The Eighties...   

Toylettes - Appetit

  Another day, another band from Berlin...

  Toylettes are Lisa (vocals/keyboard/guitar), Alex (guitar/vocals/keyboard), Jalla (drums/vocals) and  Daniel (bass/vocals). They tag themselves as rumplepop which I have to be honest is a new one on me. When I featured them back in 2017 (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/08/toylettes-omi.html) I mentioned that they reminded me of Kleenex/Liliput and though that may be a lazy comparison it's one I'm sticking with. The music is catchy and a little off kilter and though the predominantly female vocals are German rather than Swiss they sound similar enough to these dodgy old English ears to make my comparison valid.

  They've just released a new album, it's titled Spätsommer im Luftkurort and though it's been delayed it's definitely worth the wait. 11 tracks and not a duffer amongst them. As with Gym Tonic (who I featured yesterday), keyboards play a big part in making Toylettes' sound so addictive. There's a definite playfulness on the album, they're a band that aren't afraid to throw in the odd squeal or whistle. It's an album you need in your life and luckily for you it's not only available on a cool looking green cassette, it's also "name your price" on Bandcamp....   https://toylettes.bandcamp.com/album/sp-tsommer-im-luftkurort

  I'd already decided to highlight this track when I noticed it was available on the No Way Back compilation that I mentioned yesterday. I think it's worth giving it another plug as it's for a very good cause : https://nowayback.bandcamp.com/releases

  This is Appetit...

Gym Tonic - By The Time I Was Young

  Did you see the Just Some Punk Songs' Top 100 Songs Of 2019 list?   (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-50-songs-of-2019.html). I hope you did as it was bloody good (though I would say that as I compiled it!). Anyway, the point of bringing it up (aside from tempting you to check out some of the great bands that featured) is to demonstrate how impressed I was with one of the bands I came across last year. Berlin based synthpunk 4 piece Gym Tonic (https://www.facebook.com/GYM-Tonic-597778927050736/) released their debut album, Good Job, and it was a delight. 10 killer songs with possibly the highlight, Tourists Of Death, sitting proudly in 4th position in the Top 100. Obviously new music by the band was always going to be very welcome and that's what I'm featuring today.

  Holed up in isolation, Olivier (keys/vocals), Karen (bass/vocals), Andrea (drums) and Stephanie (guitar/vocals) haven't been letting enforced separation keep them quiet. They've been working on a few demos and they contributed one of them to an impressive 36 track sampler from No Way Back   (https://nowayback.bandcamp.com/releases). All income from the sampler goes towards Mission Lifeline (https://mission-lifeline.de/).

  The Gym Tonic song is quite a restrained affair by their standards but it creeps and crawls it's way into your consciousness and it reminds us why we loved Good Job so much. I'm left thinking "Fuck off virus and let bands like Gym Tonic back into the studio and get back to releasing great music."

  It's called By The Time I Was Young...

TJ Cabot & Thee Artificial Rejects - What's In It

 

  A blast of blown out garage punk for you today courtesy of TJ Cabot & The Artificial Rejects. A new band to you? Me too but further investigation reveals they released a Demo ep back in April (https://tjcabot.bandcamp.com/album/tj-cabot-thee-artificial-rejects-demos). More digging and it turns out that they're a new budget rock project from Phone Jerks (https://www.facebook.com/Monctongaragepunk/) frontman Tyler Boots. 

  They've just released a new 3 track cassette on Goodbye Boozy Records though there appears to only be 14 copies produced (4 left at time of writing) so you'll either have to move quickly or settle for the digital download : https://goodbyeboozydigital.bandcamp.com/album/digital-tape

  The sound is deliberately rough & ready, it's authentic garage rockin' and rollin' from a guy who knows his way around the genre. There's a track about "foodies" a fun and rather rowdy cover of this song from 1977 by Buddy and the Boys (compare and contrast, the original is somewhat of a good ol' boys country hoedown  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnnZv40r52U) plus a companion piece to a song that appeared on the last Phone Jerks ep. That song was titled Out Of The Gate (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2020/02/phone-jerks-out-of-gate.html) and was written by the band's drummer Emily from the point of view of her and Tyler's greyhound, Donair. This song is about the same dog's level of indifference to everything.

  It's called What's In It...

Gumming - Slipstream

  Gumming are a post punk band from Richmond, Virginia who featured on here a couple of years ago when I highlighted a "noisy, pissed off, but not without a tune" song of theirs that I had included in a Just Some Punk Songs show female vocalists special   https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2018/04/gumming-anger-ranting.html

  That track was from their previous and very good album Human Values. Last month they returned with new full length Overripe and it's another winner. The band are a 4 piece; Emelie Von Unwerth (vocals), Landon Walker (guitar), Marisa Cagnoli (bass) and Lee Halpin (drums), the songs are compact flurries of spiky noise bursting with spit and snarl. The vocals are confrontational the music jagged and intense.  You can get the vinyl version from Vinyl Conflict   http://vinylconflict.storenvy.com/collections/264674-all-products/products/30368569-gumming-overripe-lp-vc-030

  Digitally go here and you'll find it as a name your price download   https://gumming.bandcamp.com/album/overripe

  This is the opening track and what a fine way to kick things off. It's an intense burst of creeping paranoia that'll leave you sweating and looking over your shoulder. "They're Coming For Us"...  Sleep With One Eye Open, Don't Blink And Don't Turn Your Back Now"... "They Know All About You, They Know How To Find You"

  It's called Slipstream...

Anabollic Steroids - All For One!

   A song today from a Anabollic Steroids (https://www.facebook.com/anabollicsteroids/), a band that formed in the late 70's. Rather than paraphrasing I think I'll just c&p their bio to give you a band history...

  The Anabollic Steroids formed in the late 70's . It began by posting fictitious gigs in the back of the music papers namely Sounds and the NME. It helped get the name out there along with a massive graffiti campaign in the North Kent South London area. The band had a period of various people turning up and rehearsing at late night sessions in Streatham. Although not having actually played live anywhere a line up came about in early 1981 which would become really what was the birth of the Anabollic Steroids as a live gigging unit. James Bondage (Gerard) vocals and bass, Steve Steroid (Steve) vocals and bass, Kappa (Michael) drums, 999Si (Simon) guitar. Steve and James would swap bass on stage and would interchange on vocals too. The early gigs were very chaotic and much fun. A loyal set of jovial lads and lasses would turn up on mass and jig the night away fired up on plenty of cider. The band played The Wapping Anarchist Centre a couple of times, various Kent village halls were secured for a nights entertainment. In 1982 The Steroids played at Skunks with The Straps. Skunks became quite a well known venue for Punk bands and was a venue very close to Angel tube in London. Further gigs in 1982 included playing with The Drones again at Skunks, The Business at The Red Lion in Gravesend. There was also a classic Sunday night gig in Brixton, which was brilliantly attended at The Old Queens head of which there still is an entertaining live recording of the night. Much fun had been had along the way but it came to an end in 1983 with a final gig at The Moonlight Club in Hampstead in May of that year. The gigs were often more of a celebration of all our mates being together under one roof than just focusing on the band. The band reformed kinda by accident in 2012 when we played at The Legendary 12 Bar in Denmark Street and since then have played various festivals and have played with such bands as the UK Subs, The Vibrators, Crisis and TV Smith to name but a few. The current line up is Michael De Victor (lead guitar) Jason Glen (rhythm guitar) Michael Karczweski (bass) Kevin Gregory (drums) Steve Nash (vocals). We were included on a compilation album in 1982 entitled Hundreds and Thousands and our featured track was "I Always Cry At Funerals". 2018 saw the release of our 'Carry On Stinking" CD album which "Vive Le Rock" magazine awarded us a creditable 6 out of 10 for. 2018 also saw the release of our "Life Stinks" ep which came out in CD form and was later released onto vinyl.

  They recently released a new single, dedicated "to the Steroid Barmy Army and the glory days we shared."  It's an old school punk tune looking back in fond reminiscence and it features live excerpts from that 1982 gig at The Old Queens Head in Stockwell. You can get it name your price here :   https://anabollicsteroids.bandcamp.com/track/all-for-one

  It's titled All For One!

Do you remember the days of ’81
Steroid Barmy Army , Stinkers on the run
Boozing in the Max', playing down Skunx
Hanging out at Bonaparte – BR6 Punx
Chaos at the youth club, banter with the Mods
Snogging on the back seats, love against the odds
Old enough to live the dreams we had when we were young
That summer was our youth and life was so much fun

Stinkers all for one!
Stinkers all for one!

All these years on, from Kent right up to Fife
Hear old bones-a-rattle, Stink’s a way of life
Rockin’ up the West End, what a fucking row
Anabollic Steroids - Stinkers know-how
Not all of us have made it, we remember every day
Our brothers and our sisters who fell along the way
Be proud of who you are, be proud of what you’ve done
Hear the barmy army roar “Stinkers all for one!”

Stinkers all for one!
Stinkers all for one!

Standard Issue - When You Leave

"Misery loves company, please lock the door when you leave..." 

  Standard Issue play a timeless brand of energetic melodic hardcore of the type that'd seem perfectly at home on mixtapes compiled at any period of time during the last 30 plus years. Even the name Standard Issue (not sure if they're named after the Morning Glory track but I certainly hear elements of that Choking Victim/Leftover Crack/Morning Glory signature sound) dredges up memories of classic 80's or 90's favourites. They are however a more recent addition to the scene. Hailing from Riverside, California, they're a 3 piece who released a S/T ep at the end of 2017 and followed it up with The Cost Of War album and the Out Of Time ep. Earlier this month they were back with new album Those Who Have Come Before and it's one you definitely don't want to miss. There's times when you stumble across a new release that makes a big impression, this was one of those.

  Most of the songs barrel along at breakneck speed, Like To Know, No One Knows and Tomorrow Is Unknown being particular favourites. All the songs are great though and happily the high octane pace doesn't take away from the melody which is present in abundance throughout. The album's available via No Time Records & Tent City Records and you can find it here :   https://standardissuepunk.bandcamp.com/album/those-who-have-come-before

   The song I'm highlighting today is another extremely strong one, it's still pacy but it's maybe a little more considered and there's something about the punchy vocals that hits the sweet spot. It's called When You Leave...

Les Dead Boobs - A.N.A.R.C.H.I.E

 (Photo Laurie Redisdead)

  Les Dead Boobs (https://www.facebook.com/lesdeadboobs/) got together in 2011 in a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris called Saint-Maur-des-Fossés and they line up with Janlwi (guitar/vocals), Axel (guitar/backing vocals), Estelle (bass/backing vocals) and Nicolaza (drums). They've just released a split album with fellow Parisians Tabula Raza titled Tout Brûler. Recorded and mixed by Joshua Hudes Music Production (aka Josh from Louis Lingg And The Bombs) it's available via Trauma Social, Kanal Hysterik, General Strike and Zone Eleven records. You can find the Tabula Raza tracks here :  https://tabularaza2.bandcamp.com/album/tout-br-ler

  The Les Dead Boobs half of the split is here :                     https://lesdeadboobs.bandcamp.com/album/split-tabula-raza-les-dead-boobs-tout-br-ler

  And that's the half of the split I'm focusing on today. A short intro gets things off to a lively start before the track they teased us with prior to the album's release (On fait du rock) blows us away. It translates into English as We Rock and it's all about how they live to play in front of a crowd, fists punching the air, everyone singing Whoa oh oh oh and chanting along to politicized lyrics. It's a feel good anthem that'll take the roof off once they can get back in venues. Although Google translate doesn't properly do justice to what seem to be very well crafted lyrics, I can understand enough to know that another highlight, Pas pour le plaisir, deals with how refugees leaving their war torn homelands don't do so for fun...

  This song reminds me a little of the aforementioned Louis Lingg And The Bombs, it's big and beefy in sound with a groove you can get on down with. It's called A.N.A.R.C.H.I.E

A j'ai attrapé la N en regardant tout ç A alors depuis hi R il faut dire que j'en ai a C je voudrais que tu s H que pour une meilleure v I il faudrait qu'on nous l S péter le syst M droit dans les y E R on en a marre que E nous obligent à se le V pour conduire des aut O jusqu'aux usines de sacs poub L on en a plein le c U de se faire exploi T jusqu'à la fin de nos v I par une bande de patr ON A j'en ai encore plein le c U il faut aller vo T pour choisir un sal O qui croit encore tout arran G ça serait carrément mi E que ces connards nous l S des jours de RT T pour faire nos v I sans les patr ON

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Rotura - Insurrección

  Rotura (https://www.facebook.com/Roturapunk/) are a 3 piece anarcho punk band from Barcelona featuring members of Simulacro (https://simulacro1.bandcamp.com/) and Estigiä  . They line up : Toni (drums), Alejo (guitar) and Silvia (vocals/bass). They recently released a Self Titled 5 track ep which is available "name your price" on Bandcamp : https://rotura-punk.bandcamp.com/releases

    They remind me a little of one of my favourite Spanish bands, Accidente. Female vocals combine with melodic punk stylings and political lyrics to create a very palatable whole. Topics covered include rebellion in Latin America, euthanasia and repression. It's conveyed in their native tongue but Google will help you understand the lyrics on Bandcamp. All in all, a very promising debut.

  This is the opening track, it's titled Insurrección...

Brotes insumisos que empiezan a suceder El pueblo revuelto defendiéndose Una y otra vez La creciente militar avanza sin mirar Y se reafirma la protesta Después de tanto tiempo esperando que llegué la insurrección La gente enfadada por tanta precariedad Ha empezado a combatir y resistir Organizándose Los nuevos fascismos avanzan sin mirar Y continua la revuelta Después de tanto tiempo esperando que llegué la insurrección

Wolf Bites Boy - Rubble and Decay

  Once upon a time, West Midlands street punk 4 piece Wolf Bites Boy (https://www.facebook.com/wbboi/) were a regular fixture on Just Some Punk Songs. Their 2015 album, Family Isn't Always Blood, was my favourite lp of that year and they followed it up with splits with Aggro Culture, Fibonattis and Seaside Rebels which whilst in my opinion not quite reaching the heights of Family were still perfectly decent additions to their discography. Their last release was an album titled The Story So Far which mixed new material and live studio session versions of old favourites but it's been a long wait for a new record by them. Occasionally they'll pop up with an appearance on a compilation such as this https://8uprecords.bandcamp.com/track/wolf-bites-boy-bang-to-rise but on the whole they've been quiet. I asked frontman Stuart Marsden recently why the long wait and from what he said I think it's just a question of waiting till they have something ready that they're happy with but hopefully they'll be back all guns blazing once the current pandemic dies down a bit.

  To keep us going till then, they've just made another one of those compilation appearances on an impressive 40 track benefit titled Give Sweatshops the Boot Vol.1. Since the launch in May 2019 of Punks Against Sweatshops, bands from around the world have been signing up to kick sweatshops out of the global punk scene and source band T-shirts ethically. All the proceeds from the comp are being split between building the campaign and the Garment Workers Solidarity Fund set up by No Sweat https://nosweat.org.uk/

  As well as WBB, the album also boasts many other great bands such as Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Petrol Girls, The Menstrual Cramps, Oi Polloi, Rubella Ballet, The Restarts, Bratakus, Wonk Unit, Armoured Flu Unit, The Crash Landings, Propagandhi and many more...

  You can find it here : https://punksagainstsweatshops.bandcamp.com/album/give-sweatshops-the-boot-vol-1

  The Wolf Bites Boy track is, as we've come to expect from the band, a working class anthemic singalong and it's called Rubble And Decay...

The Owen Guns - Fuck Cyclists

  The Owen Guns (https://www.facebook.com/theowenguns/) are a band I've been keeping an eye on since Wreckless Enterprise Records' Ronny Van Dyk included them in his Top 10 "unknown but fucking amazing" new bands from Australia  (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/09/top-10-unknown-but-fucking-amazing-new_29.html). 

  They're an old school hardcore punk band who mix humour with antagonism and who hopefully have a long future in front of them. They're genre veterans with members split between Sydney and the south coast and it wouldn't surprise me if they're another breakout act following in the freshly laid footsteps of Amyl And The Sniffers & The Chats.

   They've a new ep out soon, it'll be available via Riot Records (https://goldenrobotrecords.com/riot-records/) and titled Violating Community Standards. To whet our appetites they've released a song from it. It's a brief volley of vitriol aimed in the direction of a lycra clad menace and it's titled Fuck Cyclists...

SLANT - Enemy

Slant are a powerful hardcore punk band from Seoul (South Korea) who've already pummelled our senses with a 2018 Demo and an ep titled Vain Attempt and are now preparing to unleash their debut full length. They've shared a track from the album and made this statement :

  Police brutality and the murder of innocent black people in the United States needs to end now. We are not able to protest directly in Korea, but there are other ways we can help. Many protesters have been and will be wrongfully arrested for fighting for true justice. To aid those who cannot make bail, all proceeds from this song will be donated to the Massachusetts Bail Fund  (https://www.massbailfund.org) along with our own personal donations and we'll post the receipt on Bandcamp each time we make a transaction. Thank you.  

  The song is a blistering female fronted attack on those that remain silent, it's a concise but effective message and bodes well for the upcoming full length.   https://slant.bandcamp.com/

  It's called Enemy...

on the winning side
safest place to hide
scared to say what's right
so embrace it

ENEMY

time's up, door's shut
you're no different than them

Bobby Funk - Gammon Club

 

  Bobby Funk (https://www.facebook.com/bohdoublebwhy/) are the hardcore punks from Falmouth who've just released their debut album on TNS Records (and what a year that Manchester label is having with great releases already under their belt this year by the likes of Knife Club, Brassick, Follow Your Dreams, Haest, Jodie Faster etc...). The album's called Longing For The Bonging and it's a fast and furious bundle of fun covering subjects like red faced right wingers, full English Brexit, a hungry acting dame and the joys of being a cat. It's an irreverent look at the world from the twisted minds of Ollie, Rob, Alex and Shannon and you can check it out here : 

  Coloured vinyl : https://bit.ly/bobbyfunk

  Digital : https://tnsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/longing-for-the-bonging

  The song I'm highlighting today deals with the type of florid, opinionated drinkers who hold office down their local Wetherspoons pub, dressed proudly in their England football shirts parroting what they've read that morning in The Sun and The Mail and loudly backing Boris' Brexit stance. What starts out very much as a fast paced banger soon morphs into something that'd sound more at home on a Trinidadian beach or at Notting Hill Carnival. It's a rare opportunity with this band to take a break from throwing yourself around the room and dance to a soca calypso beat.

  It's called Gammon Club...

Pavid Vermin - Judy Go Home (Guest review by Alex Kish)

  So yesterday I received a message from world famous Wassup Rocker Radio show host (https://www.facebook.com/wassuprockerradio/) Alex Kish which read "This is cool" and contained a link to a new 10 track Pavid Vermin (https://www.facebook.com/pavidvermin/) album.

  I replied "Yeah I saw it earlier, not checked it out yet. Do you fancy reviewing it?"

  And he did. Sort of. Briefly and enthusiastically. Leading me to reply I think I may have to pad it out!

  So firstly Alex's review...

  This comp is like being 13 again discovering the greatness that was Lookout! Records. every song on this comp is solid and a majority i still listen to today. Pavid Vermin is great, go buy their stuff! And support this fantastic label as well called Bloated Kat Records!

  And now my padding...

  Pavid Vermin are rapidly turning into one of the pop punk world's most prolific artists. The alter ego of Glenn Robinson (https://glennrobinson.bandcamp.com/), I featured what I think was Pavid's first release on here just over a year ago (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/04/pavid-vermin-i-dont-wanna-be-ramone.html) and in the short time since then, there's already been 3 full lengths (Jump!, Jive! And Fail!, Throw Me In The Trash and Cutting Corners). Featuring some of the catchiest tracks around, that back catalogue is now expanded by this love letter to Lookout! Records. Titled Pavid Ruins Some Songs it features new versions of classics originally recorded by the likes of Groovie Ghoulies, MTX, Green Day, Operation Ivy, Squirtgun etc.

  At the moment 100% of proceeds from this release are going to The Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project and the FANG Community bail fund   https://communitybondproject.networkforgood.com/projects/101939-free-our-protesters
 https://www.gofundme.com/f/fangbailfund 
All future proceeds from this album will go to The Foodbank of Rhode Island and Save Pangolins

  Great music, great causes check it out... https://bloatedkatrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lookout-pavid-vermin-ruins-some-songs

  This track is a Riverdales cover, it's titled Judy Go Home...

Los Candidatos - Tormenta Nuclear (Sha-La-La)

  Los Candidatos are an old school punk band from Bogotá, Colombia who list amongst their influences the likes of Ramones, Riverdales, Social Distortion, Bad Religion etc... They line up with Mario Parra (Vocals), Jairo Muñoz (Guitar), Geovanni Parra (Drums) and Jaime Lara (Bass). Last November they released an album titled Premoniciones and it's recently been picked up by that bastion of good taste Matt Bennett for his Outloud! Records label. It's available on vinyl, cd and digital download : https://outloudrecords.bandcamp.com/album/premoniciones

  The tag line for the album is "13 tracks of Occult-Fueled Columbian pop punk!" and whilst, like with yesterday's update, I'm not sure what the hell they're singing about I'm still having fun listening. Cretina translates into English as idiot (though I'd just about worked that out before checking!) and it's a rollicking good tune. Un Extraño (A Stranger) is another Ramonescore style winner whilst Obituario (Obituary) slows things down a little but is a catchy singalong.

  The song I'm featuring today however is the closing track on the album. A bright and breezy pop punk earworm, it's titled Tormenta Nuclear (Sha-La-La)...

Faux Depart - Brûlé

  Faux Départ are a 3 piece from Lyon who line up with Vincent (drums), Telly (bass) and Pascal (vocals/guitar). I know very little about them but I recently had a listen to their second album Vie Ordinaire and was very impressed. They sing in their native tongue and although there aren't any lyrics online for me to set Google translator to work on the musicianship is definitely good enough to draw me in. They play tight and angular post punk sung by a vocalist who sounds as though he'd be equally at home in a street punk or oi band and even if I didn't know what the songs were about I was happy enough just nodding my head and tapping my feet to some killer tunes.

  The album came out in January on Destructure Records (and what a great back catalogue that label is building up with releases from the likes of Litige, Bombardement, Youth Avoiders, Bleakness etc...)   http://www.destructure.org/store/faux-depart-vie-ordinaire-lp

  It's also on Bandcamp : https://echocanyonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/echo-035-faux-depart-vie-ordinaire

  The song I'm highlighting today is called Brûlé...

The Globs - Rebel Girl

  They say it's not easy standing out from the crowd and that's certainly the case today as I feature a song from an album that contains 22 covers of the Bikini Kill classic Rebel Girl. Unsurprisingly named after the song, the album came out last moth on Lavasocks Records with all profits going to Bay Area Girls Rock Camp. It's available both as a cassette and a name your price digital download and it features some great bands (including Tuffragettes, City Mouse, Screaming Bloody Marys, Grey Matter etc...). https://lavasocksrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rebel-girl

  The version of the song you'll find below is by Sacramento band The Globs. They recently released an excellent album titled The Weird And Wonderful World Of The Globs, a song from which I covered way back in 2017 https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-globs-spiral-stairs.html

  Their interpretation of Rebel Girl puts an entirely new spin on things and would seem at home in a bright and breezy musical movie such as West Side Story or Grease. There may still be revolution in her hips but there's also a feel good vibe that'll make you want to dance.

  Rebel Girl...

We Live Here

 

 Just Some Punk Songs is, in it's own little way, supporting Blackout Tuesday but rather than having no update today, I've decided to re post this song from earlier in the year. Spare a couple of minutes to reflect and show solidarity with the black community.