Natterers - Not Long Left Now (Review By Stefan Ball)

 

  Another guest review for you today, this time around it's by Stefan Ball who's the vocalist with Reading band Who Killed Nancy Johnson?  https://www.facebook.com/WhoKilledNancyJohnson/
https://wknancyj.bandcamp.com/

  Stefan has reviewed the new album from highly rated Yorkshire hardcore punks Natterers. The album is called Head In Threatening Attitude and it's been picking up some rave reviews. Here's another...

Head in Threatening Attitude by Natterers

Boss Tuneage Records - released 5th October 2018

£6 digital on Bandcamp, £10 vinyl and £7.50 CD from bosstuneage.bigcartel.com; cassette from Raise the Curtain Records

https://natterers.bandcamp.com/album/head-in-threatening-attitude
https://www.facebook.com/natterersband

  The first album from Yorkshire band Natterers is a bit of an event. It's been two years since the demo came out, and a year since the brilliant Toxic Care 7" EP. That's plenty of time for personnel changes and musical development. So, what's new?

  Quite a lot. On the personnel front, the album features a new rhythm section in Rob Bewick and Dave Allen - who between them have a long pedigree including playing together for Vorhees and separately in bands like Leatherface and Young Conservatives.  

  And on the musical side, Natterers reveal a greater complexity and depth. The six tracks on Toxic Care were all busy, frenetic, surf-laced, shouty and short. Head in Threatening Attitude has all that, of course - not least a re-recording of "Defiant (again)", which featured on the 2016 demo. But there's more light and shade in the pacing. "Dead Men Can't Catcall" in particular comes in on a kind of louche Cramps-style lurch that is - whisper it - slow. 

  More light and shade in the vocals, too. Emma can still yell with the best of them, but on tracks like "Not Long Left Now" she shows she can handle melody, while the weary anger and contempt in the delivery of the aforementioned "Dead Men Can't Catcall" fits the song and the message perfectly. 

  As for Thomas, whose guitar lines - a sort of Dick Dale on speed - are so much a part of the sound, he flourishes in the longer format. Surf remains his key influence, and he lets it rip on tracks like "Germs and Creeps" and the closing instrumental, "Theme Song". But he can do a mean Rezillos chord riff ("Not Long Left Now") and play classic punk guitar ("So Much More"), while the album opens with five power chords that Malcolm Young would have been proud of ("Power Tripping"). 

  Throughout the record, the band as a whole and the members of it always sound like themselves, even though each song is different in structure, attack and timing. "Long-awaited debut album" says the advertising. It's been worth the wait: Head in Threatening Attitude is a brilliant record.

  This is Not Long Left Now... 

Natterers - Surf Off!

photo : Miff Did It

  Natterers are the hard hitting Yorkshire punk band that featured on here last year with a cautionary tale of what could well happen once the population of our planet becomes too great to sustain itself. It was taken from their impressive 4 track demo (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/natterers-make-room-make-room.html). Last month they returned with the Toxic Care ep and it's been picking up plenty of positive press, something that doesn't surprise me as it's excellent.

  Featuring Emma (vocals), Andrew (bass), Thomas (guitar) and John (drums), Natterers are definitely one of the UK's most promising new bands. There'll be a 7" version of the new ep out next month on Boss Tunage Records/Serial Bowl Records (not sure how many will be left after pre orders as the toxic yellow coloured ones seem to have already been snapped up) whilst you can check out the digital release here : https://natterers.bandcamp.com/

  The song you'll find below is a lean, punchy minute and a half blast of sonic fury called Surf Off!

Natterers - Make Room! Make Room!

 

  A few months ago I posted a great song by The Wurst called Soylent Green which was inspired by the old Charlton Heston movie in which the expanding population are living on a diet of something they might not enjoy as much if they knew what it was made up of.... http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/the-wurst-soylent-green.html.

  For today's update, I'm bringing you a song inspired by the 1966 science fiction novel Make Room! Make Room! which was written by Harry Harrison and which was the source material for Soylent Green. The song calls out the irresponsible adults who reproduce for no better reason than it's something to do and warns that Harrison's novel might not be too far away from becoming fact rather than fiction. It's a warning to take better care of our world before it's too late.

  Natterers are a hardcore punk band from Yorkshire comprising of Chris (bass), Emma (shouting), John (drums) and Thomas (guitar). They recently released a demo cassette ep (limited to 100 copies) and it promises great things for this new UK band. You can get more info, or snap up a name your price digital download of the ep here : https://natterers.bandcamp.com/track/make-room-make-room

   A tasty treat, this is the lead track, Make Room! Make Room!

We raped the Earth 
Polluted, drained, 
Depleted 
Hunted, ravaged 

So sorry Harry, it’s all come true! 

Apple of your eye 
Bane of the world 
There’s too many of us 
Baby baby baby baby 

Breeding like flies 
Selfish desire to reproduce 
To fix your own broken dreams 
Planet Earth doesn’t need another you 

Our burning sphere 
Our polluted air 
Our ecocide 
Our rotten history 

Make room, make room! 
Make room, make room!