Bruce - Next Time (Guest Review By Dirk Ceustermans)

    

  Dirk returns today to make sure you all know about a repackaging of a couple of albums into one handy 21 track treat by one of his favourite bands. Bruce (https://www.facebook.com/BRUCEPUNK/) are another cool Belgian garage punk band and have members from Aarschot and Bilzen. They're no strangers to this blog but the album is a thing of beauty and deserves a little more exposure :  https://brucepunk.bandcamp.com/album/captain-weve-lost-bruce-my-latest-popstar-crush

  BRUCE released their 2 latest CD releases together on 1 lp a month ago, so time to put this band in the spotlight again. This lp, release initially at a 100 copies run, contains all songs from their short and blistering CD releases: "Captain, we've lost Bruce" (2019) & "My latest Popstar Crush" (2017)

As I am typing this now, I just found out they did a second press already, these records sell like a proper good Belgian beer here and rightfully so!

  I chose "Next Time" to introduce this band's release as this song has a bit of history. 

Could've chosen a tougher track, but hey nothing wrong with a ..er love song?

The track appeared for the first time on a compilation of Belgian 60's inspired bands back in 1987, when some members of BRUCE were in a band called the Leftovers.

This version gave it the fantastic Bruce makeover, however this time without the ever present wah wah guitar lead, reminiscent of their inspirators, the mighty Cosmic Psychos. 

As a matter of fact, if these guys were Australian, they'd be BIG!

  This is Next Time... 

 when I saw you walking in my room

 wondering why I was counting all those years

 and still I feel like hell

 You're dressed up for going out in town

 It doesn't bother me

 a night alone won't mess me up

 but still I feel like hell

 next time you can try another lie

 next time you can find another guy

BRUCE - What Fuss (Review By Dirk Ceustermans)

   Everyone's favourite Belgian (he just edges out Tintin and Hercule Poirot) Dirk Ceustermans returns today to select a song from the new album by fellow Belgians BRUCE. You can find the album here : https://brucepunk.bandcamp.com/album/captain-weve-lost-bruce

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

  And now over to Dirk...

What Fuss

Taken from - Captain, we've lost Bruce" 2019

  The new release from Bruce is out and the boys are proud of it. They should be!

  As true as they stick to their catchy formula of short tunes and words that are interrupted 
with wahwah wailing guitar intermezzos, the result is yet another tuneful release which
pleases this man's ears!

  They're a 3 piece band of youngsters of a respectable age that do songs they like 
to define as garagepunk inspired by Australian punk as in Cosmic Psychos meets Zeke meets Ramones!
And we can relate to that. 

  Bruce has been around for decades, always keeping low profile and having a 
blast everytime they come out and play. I first saw them when they'd released their first
CD in 1997, playing in a moisty cave under a pub in my town. I liked the band's stuff instantly,
Ever since, their releases get regular spins in my car!

  The track I select is called "what fuss". It showcases the lyrical style of tongue in cheek nonsense
but with some social-commentary-aftertaste, not always as obvious, but lurking underneath.
A bit like death by Belgian chocolate: Appearing sweet at first, but bitter as cocoa

What fuss for name dropped heroes what fuss for men who play the blues 
what fuss for Hollywood zeroes It’s a case of wearing the right shoes 
what fuss no fuss make fuss and you got guts what fuss for a mongoloid baby 
bad luck for all those family dreams what fuss it won’t look like his daddy 
be sure it got his mother’s ears what fuss no fuss make fuss and you got guts

BRUCE - Captain, We've Lost Bruce (Review By Dirk Ceustermans)

 

  Sometimes, in an attempt to give myself a break from the daily grind of churning out these updates (and to give you the chance to read something a little different from my cut and paste introductions) I'll ask other people if they fancy doing a review. Occasionally, but not often, someone will just mail me one, "Hi Mick, here's another one!"  This is one of those and as a bonus it's a great song from a band I'd heard before in passing but don't really know anything about. This is a review by Dirk Ceustermans who you may remember is from Belgium and hosts top Global Punk Network show MediaMofos.

  BRUCE are from Aarschot in Belgium and you can find more info on them here : https://www.facebook.com/BRUCEPUNK/  They've a new album coming out in January and Dirk will be reviewing the first single from it so I'll pass you over to him...

Bruce - Captain, We've Lost Bruce (Belgium, Released November 1st, 2018)

Free download at:
https://brucepunk.bandcamp.com/track/captain-weve-lost-bruce

  I first heard of Bruce when I went to see them at a gig down in the celler of a local punk pub back in 1997 or 98. 
They had just released a CD called the Vaticano Trail, of which I won (oh yes!) a copy because I could shout the band they were doing a cover from at that performance. I think it was D.O.A., but that's a bit of a blur. I played that CD to death as I recall it being on autocue in my car rides to various other gigs.
Well these guys have been around since then and even longer, possibly, always appealing live with songs that are so simple and straightforward in a way that it's lethal bite (usually a noisy wah wah solo) overtakes you without any warning.
They rightfully claim to be massively inspired by Aussie punkrock, add a good dose of garagey punk and perhaps a little drop of Wipers to that and you have the basics of the characteristics of Bruce.

  A few days ago I was notified by Peter, their drummer that a new song was published on bandcamp, so he wrote me to ask for a spin on my Global Punk Radio show.
He furthermore informed me that this track is a preview for the upcoming new release in January 2019.
"Some people call this ditty a Ramones meets Cosmic Psychos, but listen for yourself and make your own judgement". Well i hardly make comparisons, but if i must, I can relate this band to the Ramones (the simplicity) and the Cosmic Psychos (the wahwah noise). Again a fine moment of Bruce's typical style is what we can conclude with.
While waiting in anticipation for the new release in January, I recommend to also check their 2016 release "My latest popstar crush" (https://brucepunk.bandcamp.com/album/my-latest-popstar-crush) which I find brilliant.

  This is Captain, We've Lost Bruce...

straight to the blitz in my messerschmitt left right left right left right drop another deadly hit captain I have bad news captain we’ve lost bruce well-dressed soldiers do what they’re told left right left right left right pull death the reward captain what’s your excuse captain we’ve lost bruce captain what’s the plan you know I’m your man tell me which way to choose captain we’ve lost bruce