Old Firm Casuals - Holger Danske (Review By Ade Bailey)

  

  I'm indebted today to Revolution Rock host and Enemies Of Promise frontman Ade Bailey for reviewing Holger Danske, the new album by Old Firm Casuals.....  

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Old Firm Casuals – ‘Holger Danske’

  Never one to hold back on their output, Lars Frederikson and his ‘Street Punk’ incarnation bring us this much anticipated offering, with a truly personal feel. Unlike previous OFC records which have included some classic tracks (Perry Boys, Innocent Ones etc.) but have also ventured into the way-too-long and too-much-filler category, Holger Danske is a much more slim-line and directed affair. Checking in at a much more manageable 12 tracks, it is a wonderful thing indeed. The Viking themed cover art hints at Lars tipping his Pork Pie hat towards his roots in Denmark and away from earlier records which seemed obsessed by UK Boot Boy imagery.

  Ironically, the opener ‘Get Out Of Our Way’ sees not Lars, but bassist Casey Watson take the lead with his trade-mark ‘growl’ over a Minor key power riff and some interesting chord structures. It’s a huge start and really sets the tone here.

Next up it’s the first single release ‘Motherland’ and the first homage to Scandinavia. It’s a track in the vein of all great OFC tracks – hints of Rancid, Clash underpin the classic chug, coupled with great backing vocals and a Hammond. “Take me to the ice and snow, Where the warriors sleep below” Lars laments in the chorus on a real stand out song and was a proper high point of the recent tour (I caught them in Edinburgh and Glasgow)

As well as Danish heritage, current American politics get a real bashing across the record – the band of course being openly anti-Fascist. On ‘Pendulum’ “…Your arrogance doesn’t make you right…” and ‘Traitor’ “…You put your party before human lives…” the current shit-for-brains administration gets ripped in spectacular fashion.

  The centre piece of the record however is its title track. Preceded by a great instrumental section, Lars revisits the subtle ‘Motherland’ motif to pay tribute to his Uncle’s Danish Partisan group who fought occupation against the Nazis and were called ‘Holger Danske’

I’ve been a fan of the band since their inception but I can honestly say that this record is a real tour de force, snappy, catchy as hell - see the new unofficial theme song ‘Casual Rock And Roll’ which could easily have been a 1974 chart topper had Chapman/Chinn got their grubby hands on it!

The addition of second guitarist Gabe Gabriloff to the live shows has also lifted them to a different level, fattening the sound and raising the volume. As you’ve already guessed, I’m a huge fan of this record and so should you.  

  This is the title track, Holger Danske...

The Old Firm Casuals - Wartime Rock 'N' Roll

  The Old Firm Casuals are the San Francisco street punk/oi band who's line up features Lars Frederiksen and who've been releasing great music since 2011. They previously appeared on this blog with their tribute to Slade frontman Noddy Holder (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/the-old-firm-casuals-noddy-holder.html). You can check out some of their more recent releases here : https://theoldfirmcasuals.bandcamp.com/

  They return to Just Some Punk Songs today with the title track from the forthcoming ep, Wartime Rock 'N' Roll. Available for pre order from Rebellion Records, the limited 12" is definitely something you vinyl junkies will want to check out, all 5 tracks feature on side A whilst the flip features a really cool etching. You can read more here : https://www.rebellionshop.com/old-firm-casuals-the-wartime-rock-n-roll-12-etched-lim-1000-2-clrs-pre-order-20-03-17.html

  Something else I'd like to draw your attention to is a Just Some Punk Songs show 2 part special. The members of The Church Of Oi! Facebook group were asked to select their favourite oi/street punk songs released after 1st Jan 2000. There were over 680 tracks voted for by 136 different bands and this has been collated into a Top 30 split over 2 shows (Tues 28 Mar and Sun 2 Apr, both start at 8pm GMT). Only the most popular song by any band was chosen so you'll get 30 songs from 30 different bands, thus showcasing the strength of modern day oi music. Will The Old Firm Casuals feature? Tune in here at 8pm GMT on Tuesday and Sunday to find out..... http://mixlr.com/just-some-punk-songs/. If 30 modern day classic oi songs aren't enough, if you right click the link you'll be able to access the chatroom and join in with the chat. DO NOT MISS.

  Back to today's update, as we're on the subject of modern day classics, this is Wartime Rock 'N Roll.....

The Old Firm Casuals - Noddy Holder

  The Old Firm Casuals are a working class street punk/oi band from San Francisco who've been together since 2010 and who's line up features Rancid's Lars Frederiksen on vocals & guitar, ex Look Back And Laugh and Never Healed member Casey Watson (bass/vocals) and drummer/vocalist Paul Rivas (who was also in Never Healed). They've recently been augmented by Sydney Ducks' guitarist Gabe Gabriloff.

  Influenced by skinhead culture and basing their name on The Cockney Rejects classic, We Are The Firm, they're one of the best bands of their kind currently performing (for proof check out their track Perry Boys, a modern day classic that was voted the best song of last year on this very blog by the excellent Wolf Bites Boy http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/top-10-of-2015-chosen-by-wolf-bites-boy.html ).

  They've released numerous singles, eps and splits and there's also an album from 2014 titled This Means War. You can check out a compilation called For The Love Of It All here : https://theoldfirmcasuals.bandcamp.com/album/for-the-love-of-it-all. Their latest ep, A Butchers Banquet, came out recently on Oi! The Boat Records and Randale Records and is another definite winner.

  From the new ep, this is their tribute to the lead singer from one of the early skinhead movement's greatest ever bands, it's called Noddy Holder......