Bent Out Of Shape - We Rule OK!

  

  6 months into 2021 and I've not posted an awful lot of oi music on here so far this year. My musical tastes gravitating even further towards scrappy garage style punk tunes or the oi genre not being particularly thriving at the moment? I'm not sure. A bit of searching reveals that the first oi song I posted in 2021 was by Netherlands 4 piece Bent Out Of Shape (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2021/01/bent-out-of-shape-paying-tribute.html) and even in that write up I commented on the scarcity of new genre releases that were exciting me. Happily Bent Out Of Shape are still helping to keep the flame flickering. 

  They're from Fryslân and you can find more info on them here :  https://www.facebook.com/BentOutOfShapeOi 

  Last year saw them introducing themselves with a 7 track name your price Demo and then following it up with another 4 raw, hard hitting streetpunk/oi! songs in the form of the Who Laughs Last 7". Later this week they'll return with a split 7" ep in collaboration with The Boldness from Bali, Indonesia. 

  It'll be available via Demons Run Amok Entertainment and you can pre order it here :  https://shop.demonsrunamok.de/de/

https://bentoutofshape.bandcamp.com/

https://www.audioepidemic.net/category/vinyl 

  This is a track from it, boozy singalong lyrics and a nice punchy backbeat, this is We Rule OK!

  

  

Bent Out Of Shape - Paying Tribute

    

  I've got to be honest, after enjoying plenty of oi releases over the last few years, I didn't hear too much from that genre during 2020 that excited me. Hopefully it was Just a case of the bands I like preparing new material for release this year. I think I'd choose Takers 'N' Users' Tales Of This Town as my favourite oi album of the year but a new band that also impressed were Bent Out Of Shape (https://www.facebook.com/BentOutOfShapeOi). They're from The Netherlands and they released an impressive demo back in April (which I described as hard as nails bovver boy music :  https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2020/05/bent-out-of-shape-divide-and-conquer.html). 

  They returned at the back end of the year with an excellent 7" on Demons Run Amok (https://shop.demonsrunamok.de/en/musik/9556-16153.html) titled Who Laughs Last. 

  

  It's 4 tracks that'll appeal to fans of Blitz, Cock Sparrer, The Beltones etc with the title track revealing that though this is a new project, the members of the band are genre veterans who have carried on with their passion of making music despite being told they'd be better off getting proper jobs. Lost In The System is about struggling to get by and how we should pull together to survive whilst the closing track is a love letter to their home of Fryslân. 

  You can stream it here : https://demonsrunamok.bandcamp.com/album/who-laughs-last

  This song is about being proud of their skinhead roots and it's called Paying Tribute... 

Music for hooligans And the oppressed Skinheads on the rampage Skinheads in sta-press Up to evil conduct Razorblades in the night We fight to live - We got a fight! The culture, the classics And all of the above It's the style that we like And the music that we love Don't forget the struggle Avenues and alleyways We're paying tribute To those glory days! Bloodshed on the street The city's in a jam Won't say sorry to anyone I'm proud of who I am Suburban rebels Who never fall So join the rejects and Let’s take ‘em all! CHORUS State of emergency We're infa riot Backstreet kids Can't stand the peace and quiet It’s gang warfare In garageland All coppers are bastards They don’t understand! CHORUS

Bent Out Of Shape - Divide and Conquer

  I've another debut release for you today, this time it's a track from a demo by oi/streetpunk 4 piece Bent Out Of Shape. They hail from Fryslân in The Netherlands and feature former members of Icepick, Spirit 84, DSS and No Denial to name but a few. The ep was scheduled for release this weekend at their planned show with Bishops Green and Arch Rivals but the Corona Virus put the kibosh on that so I'll give it a plug on here instead. You can get it on cd or digitally (name your price) here : https://bentoutofshape.bandcamp.com/

 

    There's 7 tracks of hard as nails bovver boy music. The opener is an eponymous track about societies rules and the assholes that impose them. Other tracks deal with the betrayal of a friend, boozed up bust ups on a Saturday night, giving up your mates for the "love of your life", refusing to be pushed around and they round things off with a joyful track about the buzz that you get from going to your football team's packed stadium with a scarf around your neck.

  It's an impressive debut by a band that arrive fully formed.

  This song is about how the rich create targets for the poor to blame for their ills as a distraction to the big picture. It's called Divide And Conquer...

The poor stay poor and the rich stay rich,
It's been that way forever.
And when it comes to placing blame,
The rich are really clever.
They emphasize our differences,
Sow hate between you and me.
So instead of the fucking system,
You blame some poor refugee.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER, that's their fucking plan.
DON'T FIGHT EACH OTHER, Fight- the man.
There's more than enough, for us to go around.
But the higher ups, wanna keep us down.

They take the best years of your life,
And then your pension and your health.
And while you're barely getting by,
You create their wealth.
They control the media,
And play a nasty game.
So we fight amongst ourselves,
Even though we are the same.