I got sent this song a couple of weeks ago but I've only just noticed it's been on Youtube for a few days so apologies for my tardiness and without further ado...
Dead Sheeran (https://www.facebook.com/deadsheeran) needs no introduction to Just Some Punk Songs visitors, his humorous take downs of modern society have featured several times. He's back today with another satirical broadside, this time at one of this country's most divisive characters.
It's a song that details the downfall of our very own "Poundland Trump" and as you'll hear, it borrows the chorus to a golden era punk standard. It's a song that'll amuse and anger in equal measure. You can find it here : https://deadsheeran.bandcamp.com/track/johnson
A reminder of what he done to us, this is Johnson...
Now that things are opening up and we're being encouraged to venture back out into the world, you'd think he'd be mellowing but actually, is he fuck. His new single boasts 2 brilliant new tracks, both laced with plenty of trademark wry observationalism but on which he sounds more pissed off than ever.
Brexit Beach Party bursts out of the gate with the line of "What a time to be alive" before laying into smirking, uncaring Tory fuckwits, Nigel Farage and self induced empty supermarket shelves. Bread and earwax anyone? A definite winner but not the one a video was made for.
That's this beauty, more taking to task of a government totally out of their depth trying their best to paint a picture of record mass testing whilst the real story should be of record mass graves. It's a song that dredges up a conflict of emotions; both humour and horror battle with each other as we wonder if we should laugh or cry. Great art provokes a reaction, see how this works on you.
It was going to be the 7th and concluding part of Randy Smith's favourite political songs today but He's still slaving away on it ("such an important band to both me and the label ... so ... agonizing over every word, plus just plain exhausted! Will try to make it worth the wait!") and it'll be posted in a couple of days. Instead I'm salivating a song that I'm pretty sure Randy would approve of by one of the hottest new artists to hit the UK punk scene this year.
When I say new, Paul Catten has actually been releasing music for a while now (https://paulcatten.bandcamp.com/music) but his latest project, Dead Sheeran (https://www.facebook.com/deadsheeran), blew me (and many others) away back in May when he unleased a track from what turned out to be an excellent debut S/T ep (https://deadsheeran.bandcamp.com/album/dead-sheeran). It was a no brainer to feature a song on here and play a few on the show though considering how much positive press he'd been getting (plus a bit of chart success) it was a somewhat of a surprise to get a message recently saying "Hello mate, new Dead Sheeran track for you. First one off the album, halfway through a vid. You've given me loads of support so I'm sending to you before anyone else. Hope you like it enough to play it mate!"
The track is yet another Corvid related tune but unlike many, it's totally brilliant. It's the sound of Paul venting his fury over the current situation but lacing it with cutting black humour. Lyrics include "We got so fucking stupid, we're just waiting around, for some clueless fucking guidance from these stupid fucking clowns" and "I can't fucking breath and it's uncomfortable to wear...just wait until you spend some time in intensive care." Musically it's like a visit to the fairground whilst jacked up on speed. I've been lucky enough to hear the upcoming album, A National Disgrace (out December 4th...vinyl January), and I'm happy to report that it more than lives up to the promise shown so far. Definitely one to keep a space for on your best of 2020 lists.
So put on your fucking mask and get away from me, this is Keep Your Distance...
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!").
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...
