Well we've got to that time of the year when 2023 is on the horizon and the best of 2022 lists are being compiled and us bloggers are thinking we've whittled 100s of great releases down into some sort of manageable chart that'll have the readers scratching their heads wondering why their own particular favourite is only at number 48 when it should be so much higher! And then along come more great new releases to bugger things up. One of those features today.
Gaffer are a band from Perth who released a very promising demo cassette a couple of years ago (it featured here : https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2020/06/gaffer-skin-of-your-teeth.html). They gave the appearance of the type of band that rears it's head, impresses all who hear them and then vanishes as quickly as they appeared. Happily, on this occasion, they're back with a debut album and it reminds us why we loved them so much first time around.
Featuring former members of DiE and Cold Meat, I mentioned previously that they reminded me a little of UK style oi. I think I was pretty much right (as I didn't mean the jaded, stereotypical tough guy rantings of too many bands of that era) with the record company drawing comparisons with the likes of The Zeros, Blitz and Chron Gen. The album's titled Dead End Beat and there's just something about it that makes it stand out from the crowd.
It's available to pre order on vinyl from Helta Skelta Records https://heltaskeltarecords.bigcartel.com/product/gaffer-dead-end-beat-lp-pre-order
and Drunken Sailor Records https://www.drunkensailorrecords.co.uk/products/735883-gaffer-dead-end-beat-lp-drunken-sailor-records-drunkensailor-152
A highlight? I could pick any of the songs. Coin tossed, I'm going with this. An exercise in scathing sarcasm, it's called Factory...
