Pardon Us - Che in Gold Lamé

  

  As I mentioned yesterday on Facebook, on last night's Just Some Punk Songs show I played a track from the latest album by Liverpool trio Pardon Us (https://www.facebook.com/wearepardonus) and amidst the widespread chatroom praise popped up the comment "best fucking band in UK by fucking miles!"

  Are they? Well I'm certainly not laughing that particular commentator out of town. It's a big claim but it's one certainly worthy of consideration. 

  They've featured on here numerous times previously, their first time being 10 years ago :  https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2015/08/pardon-us-only-pain.html

  Since then they've raised their heads above the parapets at regular intervals to regale us with great, catchy protest songs that make our bodies move and our minds mull over social and political injustices. 

  The new album is titled Learning To Live with and it maintains their highest standards. It kicks into gear with a soundbite from the 1939 Laurel And Hardy movie The Flying Deuces : 

 Francois : Pardon me gentlemen, what seems to be the trouble?

 Stanley : Well, if you don't mind, we're going to jump in the river.

 Francois : But, why commit such a foolish action? Surely, your troubles can't be as bad as all that.   Stanley : Well, that's what I've been trying to tell him.

  This leads into an opening song about how it's easy in this bleak day and age to become an old cynic but it posits how surely things can only get better. 

  It's just the first of 14 pop punk nuggets of gold. The subject matter might often be depressing (divided nations, crap politicians on all sides, frothing racists and conspiracy nuts...) but the music shines. 

  It's available on vinyl and digital download and is already an album of the year contender :  https://pardonus.bandcamp.com/album/learning-to-live-with

  It's impossible to choose a favourite song to highlight (I've listened to the album several times and different tracks keep jumping out at me) so I'm going with one I've not seen other reviewers mention yet (just to show how strong overall the album is.) This is Che In Gold Lamé...

Can’t bear to vote for another red-tie Tory Well now my child Let me tell you a story Of comrade Phil, his vision so inspired When fascists rise He knew what was required A movement needs a figurehead to pick us off the ground A left wing Elvis wielding an AK A revolution needs a revolutionary sound Give the people Che in gold lamé Old Phil’s long gone But still we keep on writing these protest songs Dissolving in infighting So many years we’ve lost to fascist scheming But I hear that voice and I can’t help dreaming We can find a figurehead to pick us off the ground A left wing Elvis wielding an AK A revolution needs a revolutionary sound Will we ever have our Che in gold lamé?