Now they return with a highlight from a split ep with Swedish rippers Gefyr. The ep features 3 tracks each with neither band taking any prisoners. It's available on vinyl. EU press, Black/Green cover, Flyktsoda Records, Flyktr036#70: flyktsodazine.bandcamp.com and US press, Black/Baby Blue cover, Bunker Punks, BPDT-013: bunkerpunks.bandcamp.com
This Rat Cage song deserves multiple listens, it bursts out of the starting gate and then if anything gets even faster and more furious as it races towards it's climax. Now if only I could make out all the words (oh well, an excuse to play it over and over...) It's called Thatcher's Back...
Did you know that Gary Numan's first foray into the music business was with a 1977 punk band who played 3 gigs with him (under his real name Gary Webb) as singer. They were first called Riot, then Heroin and then Stiletto but then they kicked him out and rebranded as Mean Street. Numan joined a band called The Lasers but soon left to form Tubeway Army. They started off as a punk band but after finding a minimoog left behind in the studio started moving towards synth driven new wave.
What if he'd carried on playing punk music? Maybe we'd have got something like today's song.
SkullNBone are Chany (vocals), Pat (bass), Dan86 (guitar) & Sam (drums). They're from Montreal and you can find their music here : https://skullnbone.bandcamp.com/
Their latest release is a mini album titled A Requiem For The 21st which is pleasantly rowdy and which contains a cover of a single originally released as a single in 1979 by Tubeway Army and which appeared on their album Replicas.
As well as the 2 tracks on the single, the cassette version has a couple of extra ones, Cruel Bombs and the one I'm featuring on here today which was originally released in March and of which the band say this...
"It's about these white nationalists we have over here. I guess in America, they're called rednecks or Trump supporters. Over here, they're called 'gammon' or 'flagshaggers' or 'tories'. These people are so proud of this country's history of conquest and colonialism, and take being on the winning side of two world wars very seriously. However, they believe in keeping Britain white and British, and they feel threatened by change. They use marginalised groups like immigrants and trans people as a punching bag, to take out their frustrations at how fucked the country is. I don't know about you, but I think that sounds like they're sharing the same views of those Nazis that they're grandparents fought in the 40's. People like that perpetuate hate, and i hate that they exist. The thing that inspired me to write the song was when I saw a clip of a Patriotic Alternative demo in my hometown of Castleford. They're a neo-nazi group, similar to EDL or Britain First. I just think they're sad bellends, so I wrote a song about how sad they are."
Hard hitting political punk doesn't come much better, this is Your Grandad Fought The Nazis...
Your grandad fought the nazis And now you've turned into one If he could fucking see you now He’d sure hate his grandson You take the kids to Armed Forces Day, to see instruments of war “Your great grandad got killed with that, and he was never told what for”
You poison your kids with traditionalism and hate They look up to a wife beating flagshagging reprobate They’re gammon on training wheels, they’re flourishing in school Before you fucking know it, they’ll be turning into you
Into you Into you The last we need is another you
You only fuck to reproduce, you think the pigs are sound You think people from Pakistan are ruining this town The monarchy and state have really made you their bitch They forgot about the north before they shut down all the pits
Your grandad fought the nazis Now you’ve turned into one If you had been around back then He’d shoot his own grandson
You’d think we've learned our lesson but we’ve got no fucking clue Thanks to people, people just like you
Just like you Just like you The last we need is another you
If hates a weapon then you’re firing it the wrong way
There’s no use There’s no use You’ll never learn There’s no use I hate you I hate you The last we need is another you Another you
First up, apologies. I've been a bit slack posting updates on here the last week or two. No real reason, just apathy and football. But I've a good one for you today.
Hopefully you remember me posting several songs by Philadelphia trio Dark Thoughts a few years back and pretty much creaming my jeans with my enthusiasm for each of them. I'll post links to all 4 songs that I featured as they're that good :
The last 5 years have been quiet, though the band are still touring and I've heard occasional rumours of new material but it's been a long wait. And then today I stumbled upon a new song. A teaser for a new album? Let's hope so.
It's available on cassette and digital download, a few of the other bands featured include Alien Nosejob, Soup Activists, A Culture Of Killing & Interrobang! and "all proceeds minus bandcamp/paypal fees benefit Gaza Soup Kitchen, which is dedicated to getting food to people who are starving due to the actions of the Israeli government, a violation of international law and basic human decency, materially supported by many of our governments."
Black Bacon are a new hardcore punk band from Portland, Oregon who feature Poison Idea frontman Jerry A on vocals. Also in the band is Poison Idea guitarist Andrew Stromstad along with Merle and Ignasi from Disaster Jacks and Angel Fresnillo from Ira Et Decessus.
They've just announced they'll be releasing a debut 10 track album on ARTZA Records which will channel the rawest side of Poison Idea. It'll be titled Every Action Has Reaction and it's penciled in for next month. They've just dropped a single from it which you can find (name your price) here : https://blackbacon.bandcamp.com/track/so-much-more
It's a very enticing calling card, it's called So Much More...
You can always rely on J Prozac (https://www.facebook.com/jprozac) to conjure up a good tune, whether it's with his band The Prozacs, his side projects (such as Stiletto Bomb, Doubtfire etc) or his solo work. Where many songwriters write about the world around them and give their thoughts on the hot topics of the day, Jay seems to find more than fertile ground looking inwards and discussing his feelings. I'm guessing he finds the whole process pretty cathartic (and no doubt at times painful).
He's just opened up again with a new 12 track album titled Obsession. Sometimes you don't have a solution to life's problems, especially when the problem could be yourself. Thoughts whirl around, I guess jotting some of them down and making an album is as good a way as any of coping.
The line up on this release is J Prozac (Lead & Backing Vocals/Rhythm & Lead Guitars), Rob Pajer (Drums), Vic Rosario (Lead & Rhythm Guitars) & Greg Russian (Bass). The album's out now on cd, vinyl and digital via Rum Bar Records : https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/obsession
This is the title track, it features backing vocals from his wife Andy Nihilate who was vocalist for Stiletto Bomb, and it's called Obsession...
London punk veterans Zatopeks (https://www.facebook.com/zatopeksband) formed in 2001 and haven't exactly been the most prolific of bands in recent times (it looks as though it's been a decade since they last released anything) but happily they're gearing up to unleash their 4th album Loitering and Sauntering which will be on on Stardumb Records.
To get us all excited, they've dropped a single and it more than does the job. The line up is Will DeNiro (vocals), Sebby Zatopek (guitar), Spider (lead guitar), Sammie the Giant (bass/backing vocals), Pete Sematary (drums/percussion) & Jo Mangled (backing vocals). The music is catchy, crunchy pop punk that'll have you singing along. You can find it here : https://zatopeks.bandcamp.com/track/fine-sunny-day-2
It's inspired by Sophie Scholl, a German student and anti-Nazi political activist, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother, Hans. Read more about her here : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57008360
It's called Fine Sunny Day...
Such a fine sunny day and I’ve got to go If I had it my way I’d have years left, but no It’s a fine sunny day and I’ve got to go
They’ve got the judges, they’ve got the police I bear no grudges, I’ve got true belief
I’ve got to go away for ever and ever Don’t cry for yesterday
A kick to the head and a shock to the hand Is what they call justice in my screwed-up land It’s a fine sunny day and I’ve got to go
I’ve got to go away for ever and ever Don’t cling to yesterday
They’ve got the darkness and they’ve got the cold They’ve got no wisdom and they’ve got no soul It’s a fine sunny day and I’ve got to go
CASTILLO are a band from Los Angeles who impressed last year with their Pleasure And Pain 12" (https://mendekudiskak.bandcamp.com/album/051-castillo-pleasure-and-pain-12). I've Learnt Today was probably my pick of the tracks and it made it into the Just Some Punk Songs end of year chart. Obviously this meant I'd be only too keen to hear more...
The title track is great but so is the flip side. It's the band wearing their influences on their sleeves as they cover the opening song of a 1989 album titled In Search Of... which was by Cheltenham band The Crack. It's called My World...
You probably already know that Soft Play (https://www.facebook.com/softplayband) are Tunbridge Wells duo Isaac Holman (lead vocals/drums) & Laurie Vincent (backing vocals/guitar/bass) who were previously known as Slaves.
Earlier this year they followed it up a couple more noise laden tunes (Mirror Muscles & Act Violently).
Today, they return with something a little more heart wrenching. It's a lot gentler musically than what's come thus far but it hits even harder lyrically. A tale of what it's like living with loss from someone who sadly knows only too well.
That track recently turned up on the Repackaged album which gathered together a bunch of the San Antonio bands songs and which I hope you all checked out.
The release is titled Gamekeepers Gallows and it's an impressive debut by an anarcho punk outfit who's line up features current & ex members of Alternative // The System // War All The Time // Embittered & loads of other bands.
As is the case with Grow Your Own, it's beautifully packaged with a Crass style poster cover.
The band released an impressive video last year for the title track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPJXiq-EDeQ) and yesterday saw them unveil a new one for the track Miner Conflict / Major Contradictions (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQQem20n6Qs) but I'd already made up my mind to highlight their song about a bunch of corrupt posh boys. This is Eton Mess...
