Reaction - Closer Than Most

  

  Hailing from the Scottish town of Airdrie, Reaction (https://www.facebook.com/reaction1977) formed when they were still at school way back in the 70's. Mainly due to splitting up in 1982, they didn't actually release an album for the better part of 40 years but happily they're much more prolific nowadays.

  Their latest long player is titled Vigilantibus (it's named after their old school motto "Be Vigilant") and it sees Ian Carson (vocals), John Bryson (drums/vocals), Joe Whyte (guitars/vocals/synth/melodica), Angus McPhee (bass/vocals), Jen Hart (vocals/trumpet) & Andy MacPherson (banjo) producing a collection of songs which are both varied and very enjoyable. There's a mix of faster, punky type stuff alongside more considered mid tempo rockers. The album concludes with a one two punch that brings to mind latter day Clash/Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. 

  It's a mature album that whilst not in your face political is still the sound of a band who faced with a world that seems intent on returning to a time of right wing undercurrents, national discontent and a government intent on ruining our lives are taking a stand against the bad guys. As well as current topics of concern, they've also written about World War 2 and The Spanish Civil War.  

  It's available on cd via Tarbeach Recordings http://www.tarbeachmusic.com/ or you can listen on Youtube : 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kPqmgGm4r7LW_ei3DabGfO9aYJ-jKZFE4

  Looking back to those heady days of youth, this is a catchy song about deep friendship. It's called Closer Than Most...

Reaction - Days of Eldorado

 

  When Airdrie veterans Reaction last featured on here (claiming they wanted to be your Dee Dee Ramone https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2016/05/reaction-i-wanna-be-your-dee-dee-ramone.html) I mentioned that it had taken them the best part of 40 years to release their debut album. Happily, album number 2 hasn't taken anywhere near as long. It's titled Keep It Weird, Keep It Wired and it's available from NYC label Tarbeach Records (and if you're lucky and get in quick the first 50 copies come with a free pink vinyl 7" of the song you'll find at the bottom of this update).   http://www.tarbeachmusic.com/

  Lining up with Ian Carson (vocals), John Bryson (drums), Scot Van Den Akker (bass) and Joe Whyte (guitar), the band have evolved from their punk roots and have added a few more ingredients to the mix (think Sonic Youth, Wire, early R.E.M. and a dash of power pop). They're still recognisably a punk band though, just one that's a little more interesting than most. The songs (12 of them) include opener Welcome To Rust Town which features a great turn on backing vocals by Monica Queen (who's probably best known for her appearance on Belle And Sebastian's Lazy Line Painter Jane single. There's a song named after feminist author Valerie Solanis (author of the SCUM Manifesto and the woman who in 1968 shot Andy Warhol) which also namechecks the likes of Jack Kerouac, Johnny Thunders and Mohammed Ali (I'll be playing this one on Tuesday's Just Some Punk Songs show : https://www.facebook.com/events/1913373162051166/ ).

  Dumb Dumb Dumb is a homage to legendary Scottish label Postcard Records whilst Saints Of Tamla Hill is named after a local 70's street gang. Won't Go Back to Jail is a snotty garage influenced rocker whilst the song you'll find below is co written with an old friend of the band, Pete Lacey, and reminisces about lost youth and lost weekends.

  You can get more info on the band, including details of gigs next week with Duncan Reid & The Big Heads, here : https://www.facebook.com/reaction1977/

  If you like your punk music to be intelligent and inventive, you should definitely check out Keep It Weird, Keep It Wired. This song is called Days Of Eldorado...

Reaction - (I Wanna Be Your) Dee Dee Ramone

  Yesterday's update featured a band that formed in the 70's but who took the best part of 40 years to release their debut album. Today's update features another.

  Reaction are from Airdrie in Scotland and they formed whilst still at school, back in 1978. Taking their diy ethos from Sniffin' Glue's Mark Perry and his famous mantra "Here Are Three Chords, Now Go Form A Band", they originally featured vocalist Ian Carson and drummer John Bryson plus several different guitarists and bassists, they were a boisterously raucous outfit who became fan favourites but who's reputation for attracting trouble put off record companies and earned them bans from several venues. They split up in 1982.

  Fast forward to 2014 and they reformed to play a couple of charity gigs in support of Airdrieonians Football Club and this led to them recording an album for Tarbeach Records which they titled Accelerator. This time around, Carson and Bryson are joined by long time friend Joe Whyte (guitar) and Scot Van Den Akker (bass). Influenced by the likes of The Damned, The Heartbreakers and Sex Pistols, they received impressive 9/10 album reviews from both Louder Than War and Vive Le Rock so try and check it out. You'll also be able to catch them live if you're going to this year's Rebellion Festival.

  This is (I Wanna Be Your) Dee Dee Ramone......