Pardon Us - Che in Gold Lamé

  

  As I mentioned yesterday on Facebook, on last night's Just Some Punk Songs show I played a track from the latest album by Liverpool trio Pardon Us (https://www.facebook.com/wearepardonus) and amidst the widespread chatroom praise popped up the comment "best fucking band in UK by fucking miles!"

  Are they? Well I'm certainly not laughing that particular commentator out of town. It's a big claim but it's one certainly worthy of consideration. 

  They've featured on here numerous times previously, their first time being 10 years ago :  https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2015/08/pardon-us-only-pain.html

  Since then they've raised their heads above the parapets at regular intervals to regale us with great, catchy protest songs that make our bodies move and our minds mull over social and political injustices. 

  The new album is titled Learning To Live with and it maintains their highest standards. It kicks into gear with a soundbite from the 1939 Laurel And Hardy movie The Flying Deuces : 

 Francois : Pardon me gentlemen, what seems to be the trouble?

 Stanley : Well, if you don't mind, we're going to jump in the river.

 Francois : But, why commit such a foolish action? Surely, your troubles can't be as bad as all that.   Stanley : Well, that's what I've been trying to tell him.

  This leads into an opening song about how it's easy in this bleak day and age to become an old cynic but it posits how surely things can only get better. 

  It's just the first of 14 pop punk nuggets of gold. The subject matter might often be depressing (divided nations, crap politicians on all sides, frothing racists and conspiracy nuts...) but the music shines. 

  It's available on vinyl and digital download and is already an album of the year contender :  https://pardonus.bandcamp.com/album/learning-to-live-with

  It's impossible to choose a favourite song to highlight (I've listened to the album several times and different tracks keep jumping out at me) so I'm going with one I've not seen other reviewers mention yet (just to show how strong overall the album is.) This is Che In Gold Lamé...

Can’t bear to vote for another red-tie Tory Well now my child Let me tell you a story Of comrade Phil, his vision so inspired When fascists rise He knew what was required A movement needs a figurehead to pick us off the ground A left wing Elvis wielding an AK A revolution needs a revolutionary sound Give the people Che in gold lamé Old Phil’s long gone But still we keep on writing these protest songs Dissolving in infighting So many years we’ve lost to fascist scheming But I hear that voice and I can’t help dreaming We can find a figurehead to pick us off the ground A left wing Elvis wielding an AK A revolution needs a revolutionary sound Will we ever have our Che in gold lamé?

Pardon Us - A Christmas Wish

      

  So despite being frequently told that I'm a miserable sod for not being much of a fan of Christmas and despite hating pretty much every Christmas song ever, I've agreed to put together a special festive Just Some Christmas Punk Songs show for https://www.voodooradio.online/ 

  Not an easy task as I didn't want to be too obvious and play The Damned's There Ain’t No Sanity Clause (Or other Xmas staples by Stiff Little Fingers, The Ramones, The Dickies, Fear, Descendents etc). Nor did I want to play a load of crappy by the numbers punk cover versions. I'm trying to include a mix of songs people know and ones they might not, hopefully despite it being a Christmas special it won't be too painful.

  One of the songs that will feature is a new one by Liverpool's finest Pardon Us (https://www.facebook.com/wearepardonus). It's their 2nd release this month following their split ep with Spoilers which is out on Brassneck Records https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/split-13

  It's a song that asks for a gift that will benefit us all. Hopefully Santa will bring us the one thing we really want...The Tories out for Christmas. You can get it here as a name your price download...  https://pardonus.bandcamp.com/album/a-christmas-wish

  It's called A Christmas Wish...

Pardon Us - Laugh It Up

  If you pay any attention to the UK punk scene, you probably already know that Liverpool trio Pardon Us (https://www.facebook.com/wearepardonus) released a new album a couple of days ago called Seamless. It's a swift follow up to last year's excellent Wait (a song from which ended up as my second favourite of 2019 https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2019/12/top-50-songs-of-2019.html). Despite the small gap between releases the band, Morgan Brown (vocals/guitar), Alex Howard (bass/vocals) and Gabrielle Dos Santos (drums/vocals), have kept their standards very high and produced another record that'll definitely feature on many 2020 lists.

  Don't approach Seamless expecting many surprises. What you get (and to be honest it's what we  want) is a dozen more tracks of the "mild mannered/severely polite" melodic punk that they're renowned for. Picking a favourite is nigh on impossible given the standard throughout is uniformly high but the band themselves have already nominated a couple of contenders in the form of the videos they've released https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E--96w7AXCY &   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0SgW3bxILI

  Other "should be smash hits" are plentiful so I suggest you have a good listen to the lp and make up your own mind. It's available via Everything Sucks Music on yellow with black splatter vinyl and digital download :  https://pardonus.bandcamp.com/album/seamless

  I was tempted to go with Still Needs Singing but that gets a mention from Emma Prew in her excellent review for Colin's Punk Rock World (https://colinspunkrockworld.blogspot.com/2020/08/album-review-seamless-by-pardon-us-by.html) or maybe I should have gone with Grace as that's really made a big impression after a few plays but the track that I'm selecting to post is an impressive example of their left leaning sociopolitical worldview and just as importantly is very catchy too. It's called Laugh It Up...

See us lining up at food banks
Ashen-faced and drained of pride
And from your
Silk-upholstered sanctum
You can't help
But see the funny side
Laugh it up while you can
Laugh it up while you still can
Let's see if you still think it's funny
When all your plans
Have gone to seed
Let's see if fat cats can still scarper
Let's see if blue blood can still bleed
And all your power and privilege
And all the fortune you've found
And all the suck-ups and sycophants
Won't help you out this time around

Top 10 Songs Chosen By Alex Howard and Gabby Dos Santos (Pardon Us)

  No strangers to this blog, Pardon Us are a melodic punk 3 piece from Liverpool formed by members of Down And Outs, Flamingo 50, Town Bike and The No Marks. They've a debut album on it's way, it'll be titled Wait and it's out in September on Everything Sucks Music (UK), Fixing A Hole (Japan) and Johann's Face (USA). They're streaming a song from it called Inconvenient Reminder and it's damn good so check it out : https://pardonus.bandcamp.com/album/wait

  Today, a couple of members of the band, bassist Alex and drummer Gabby have each chosen 5 of their favourite songs. Guitarist/vocalist Morgan Brown chose a Top 10 back in 2017 https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/11/top-10-songs-chosen-by-morgan-brown.html

  Alex's Top 5 

1)  LEMURIA - More Tunnel

I always look forward to new Lemuria music; partly because it’s always the most interesting thing on any playlist, and partly because they seem to get better and better with every album.

2)  PROPAGANDHI - ...And We Thought-Nation States Were A Bad Idea

For me, Less Talk More Rock was the sweet spot between Propagandhi’s early snotty punk and their recent thrash stuff. The thunderous melodic start to Nation States rolls perfectly out of a spoken word interlude, and still gives me goosebumps every time.

3)  WORRIERS - Yes All Cops

Worriers are my favourite pop punk band. Lauren Denitzio’s haunting vocal is my main influence when I occasionally take the mike for a lead. If only I could sing as well as her!

4)  BUZZCOCKS - Promises

I got into the Buzzcocks in typically ignominious style through their ‘best of’ - though Singles Going Steady must be one of the best best-ofs ever. I later found my favourite track Promises on 7-inch in Dig Vinyl in Liverpool. Love lyrics, frantic drums, buzzsaw guitar - epic.


5)  ADOLESCENTS - Amoeba

I first heard the Adolescents playing Tony Hawks Pro Skater in my teens - it was this track, and it’s still my favourite off a ridiculously strong first album.



 Gabby's Top 5

1)  THE DISTILLERS - City Of Angels

The Distillers were one if the first punk bands I got into, and this song on Sing Sing for me was just a great driving track with awesome drums and a boss melody. Honourable Mention, Gypsy Rose Lee.

2)  OFF WITH THEIR HEADS - Drive

It was pretty hard to pull a single favourite track out by OWTH, but here’s one. These guys write some amazingly powerful songs and are catchy as hell.

3)  GOOD LUCK - 1001 Open Hands

There are loads of amazing songs by Good Luck, but this one just makes me very happy! The lyrics in this song for me are awesome.

4)  THE ORGAN - Brother

Non-punk mention. Grab that Gun is probably one of my all time favourite albums, and this track is awesome. I really love all the different elements to this track, the organ adds a depth to it that I really love.

5)  THE DRIPS - 16, 16, Six

This song has stuck with me since the first time I heard it. Its punchy and has an awesome chorus. I loved Dave’s drum part then, and very much still do.

Top 10 Songs Chosen By Morgan Brown (Pardon Us, Down And Outs etc)

  I've got a great top 10 for you today chosen by Morgan Brown who's a member of a couple of the best British bands of recent years, Pardon Us and Down And Outs. Originally from Ireby in Cumbria he now lives in Liverpool and has also graced a number of other bands including Flamingo 50, Town Bike and The No Marks.

  Here's a couple of links to some excellent name your price music....

https://pardonus.bandcamp.com/

https://downandouts.bandcamp.com/


Thanks Morgan.....

Firstly, please note that this is a top ten punk songs, rather a top ten songs if any genre - I listen to all kinds of stuff, but figure that readers if this blog can live without me rambling on about old country songs or Beach Boys records. Also, this is hardly definitive - I change my mind all the time, depending on my current mood, and there are definitely loads of songs which I will kick myself for not including here. That said, in no particular order, here we go:

  1)  HUSKER DU - Celebrated Summer

It's no exaggeration to say that the Huskers changed my life when I first heard them at 14. This is my favourite song of theirs, with all the intensity if their early hardcore material, combined with the melancholic, almost folksy tunefulness which Bob Mould was moving towards. The lyrics are at once a joyful hymn to youth, and an elegy for its passing. Perfect.

  2)  SNUFF - Somehow

I think some people probably view Snuff as part of the whole '90s Fat Wreck scene as a result of their later work, but I've always felt that they have a completely distinct sound, especially in their original incarnation. The whole first LP is an exhilarating listen, but this song in particular always gets me...

  3)  SLEATER-KINNEY - One Song For You

Combining the righteous fury of the early Riot Grrrl movement with some stellar musicianship and more nuanced lyrical take on the politics of gender and sexuality, S-K were pretty much untouchable in the later '90s. Dig Me Out may be the go-to album, but this deep cut from follow up The Hot Rock captures their mesmerising vocal and guitar interplay and rhythmic dexterity at a definite peak.

  4)  THE DAMNED - Love Song

Whilst I know the Pistols and Clash were important, The Damned are still my favourite early UK punk band, particularly the Machine Gun Etiquette era line-up. The blend of a raging Motorhead-inspired rhythm section with a big anthemic singalong pop melody was completely new, and stands up brilliantly to this day

  5)  J CHURCH - Tide Of Fate

J Church are criminally underrated, and Lance Hahn was a tremendous song writer, as well as an excellent human. His songs took in all manner of topics, from political history, through conspiracy theories, arthouse cinema, and obscure pop culture references, to more personal themes. This song celebrates the brief, joyous moments of freedom which make the daily grind tolerable, and it's wonderful.

  6)  NAKED RAYGUN - Home Of The Brave

Raygun strike a perfect balance between the artfully weird and upliftingly melodic sides of punk, with this track falling very much into the latter category. I saw Jeff Pezatti play this with The Bomb at a little gig in Stoke a few years ago. Me and my pals got to sing some back-ups, and it's one of my favourite ever gig memories.

  7)  RAMONES - Outsider

Along with Husker Du, the Ramones were my introduction to punk, and I still don't really think there is any better music. The first 3 albums defined their classic sound, but there are tons of gems in the later records too, this being one of the finest!

  8)  RUDIMENTARY PENI - Bloody Jellies

I love a bit of anarcho punk, and, along with the Subhumans, Peni are obvious stand-outs within the genre. Enigmatic, intelligent, chilling and so fucking powerful!

  9)  CAVES - Need It Most

My first 'proper' punk band was Flamingo 50, which me and Lou Hanman started while we were still in Uni. Since then, she's gone on to do great things with Caves, Worriers, the Mikey Erg Band and more, and amazingly seems to keep getting better! The most recent Caves LP is an absolute triumph, and this is one of the highlights. Mega.

 10)  MARTHA - Chekhov's Hangnail

The are so many great DIY punks doing amazing things in the UK right now, and I think Martha are right at the top of the heap, combining the grit and drive of punk with irresistible pop hooks and lyrics which mix the political and personal with warmth, pathos and humour. They're one of the most vital bands in existence right now, and this song is among their finest.

Pardon Us - Fumin'

 

  It's a little over a year since Pardon Us featured on Just Some Punk Songs (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/pardon-us-only-pain.html). Since then they've released a split ep with Only Strangers and covered an Iron Chic song in support of the McAllister family fund and now they're back with a brand new single which features an angry condemnation of the climate of xenophobia fostered by many of our politicians in order to advance careers and bolster profits. Targeting scapegoats and playing politics whilst the needy suffer,  as a biased press cheer from the sidelines is leaving these guys fucking blazing with rage. Brexit? Not in their name.

  Check out their bandcamp to find name your price downloads here : http://pardonus.bandcamp.com/album/fumin

  Featuring ex Down And Outs drummer Morgan Brown on vocals and guitar, Pardon Us also boast Alex Howard on bass and Gabrielle Dos Santos on drums. From Liverpool, this is a band with plenty to say, give them a listen.

  This is Fumin.......

I'm fucking fumin'. 
I can barely contain my rage. 
Contempt keeps bleeding from my pen and blackening the page 
I fucking blazing 
Feeling so alone and lost 
As you suck up all the profit and we shoulder all the cost 

You search for scapegoats, preying on the weakest in the pack 
With the weasel-words of your poison press always poised for an attack 
Are you so distressed? Have you been oppressed? Are you taking back control? 
Did you buy some easy answers when you sold your shitty soul? 

I'm fucking fumin' 
I can barely contain my rage. 
Contempt keeps bleeding from my pen and blackening the page 
I'm fucking blazing 
Feeling sickened and so ashamed 
Playing nation states with your racist mates like it's all a little game

I wanna rub your nose in the mess you've made 
Make you see what you have done 

Take your nation states and your racist hate 
Fuck you - not in my name

Pardon Us - Only Pain

'cause everything's fine
and nothing is wrong
there's nothing to see here
so move it along
and don't be concerned
if you hear me complain
it's nothing serious
it's only pain....  


 If any of you has a really good memory, you might remember that a little over a year ago I added a really good song by Liverpool 3 piece Down And Outs (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/down-and-outs-yesterdays-heroes.html). Now, Morgan Brown from that band is back with a new outfit called Pardon Us and they've just released their first video. I added one of their other songs to youtube a couple of weeks ago with the intention of using it here but I'll go with their video instead (the song I was going to use is here if you want to check it out : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0q6ta1djEY).

  Aside from Morgan (guitar/vocals), Pardon Us also features Alex on bass and Gabby on drums. They announced themselves with a demo last summer (which features a version of the song posted below) and they've also released Time Gentleman Please & a cover of Naked Raygun's Home. They can be found here : http://pardonus.bandcamp.com/

  "burly, diy pop punk played by wimps" if, like me, you like what you hear they're currently looking for gigs so if you can help give them a shout. This song's called Only Pain.....