| SNOTTINESS... Punk Rock Classic - World Contender - Worth A Listen - Average - Plastic - No Future |
| BLADDER BLADDER BLADDER 'Live on KXLU,Los Angeles' Tape 1999 High jinx on Los Angeles radio! Yeah the Bladder boys are let loose on the airwaves. The DJ Justin Time on this station was no John Peel and was truly the biggest amateur radio jock I think I've ever heard!!! It was like a methadoned Howard Stern. He seems like he's just come in from them there hills! And he knew fuck all about dj'ing or punk for that matter. Well thank fuck the Bladders are on call to blast out the cobwebs of this stale rock show format. It's set-up like a John Peel session only the bands have a full run through of a set, followed by a brief pisstaking interview. So we get a full 14-song set with only brief inter song banter between the tracks. And you can only imagine why with a DJ this bad! This bootleg gives you a good idea of what the lads sound like in a live situation. Old favourites like 'US Dole Queue' and the situationist 'Demand The Impossible' rub shoulders with the new ones like 'Designated Drinking Driver'. And this is all spat out by a well pissed up Mick Bladder who had to supply some impressive ad-libs to the lyrics amongst some out of tune solo's. The other new one 'On The Wagon' with it's great crashing chorus was also debued. Sterlings guitar shines out and he's rapidly becoming a new successor to the Steve Jones school of amplification. Oh by the way they fleeced the radio station of all their punk CD's as payment for having to put up with such an dum cunt of a DJ. The DJ eventually let slip he knew fuck all about punk now or then in the after show interview (so serves him right). I was a bit disappointed the lads didn't rip the piss out if him more coz he fucking deserved it! Although on 'Living A Lie' he got some well sarcy comments aimed at him which he probably wouldn't have comprehended in a million years. 'No Go Girl' was another catchy fast blast sing-a-ling followed by one of the new albums highlights 'The World Is Not Enough' with it's crime of the century lyrics and addictive guitar licks. They end things by slaughtering 'Rise' by Pil and 'Ready Now' made infamous by Slaughter. Don't think this is due for release but if you ask Mick I'm sure he'd run you off a copy if you write him a nice note or tell him about how Stockport County are gods. WORTH A LISTEN Check out BLADDER BLADDER BLADDER |
| T. ANDERS CARSON 'Stain' (scd 1248) CD 1999 Another first for 'Punk Rocker!'..yeah poetry in motion! I never thought I'd be reviewing 37 minutes worth of poetry coz like Ska, PC, crusties, liars, cheats, bully's and poseurs this ain't really my bag of spanners. But I have to admit Mr T Carson has a somewhat sniggeringly funny way of telling these stories and what's even funnier is he wants to be taken serious! And what a relief to discover this ain't the boring poetry that I was bought up on in comprehensive schools of the 1970's. No this is like brief passages from some novel or diary. He's got a good descriptive hold on words like for instance "My morbid fascination with cemetaries, mental wards and addicts!" which really had me laughing. I like the more realistic tales like 'Nervous Charlie' and 'Crawling Through Spiked Borders' all about being banged up. But then we have to sit through straight down the line well ordered poems like 'Maple Tree' that reads like one of the poems he submitted for a University thesis or something. What's missing from this CD is some guitar riff going off in the background at certain junctures or some wailing air raid siren or sound effect as he describes his world vision. Other subjects covered in the 26 pieces include lost baggage, being committed, and New Years Eve. And as with all poetic license this ain't something your gonna play again and again unless your really into the sound of one mans lone voice. Maybe if it had something else going off in the background it would've been more interesting but this is only for the poets out there, and like Monsieur Carson spells out..."There's always someone and it doesn't have to be you!" AVERAGE. Check out the web site at http://members.tripod.com/TACARSON/ |
| VARIOUS 'Never Mind The McBollocks' (cdoo1) CD 1999 When I first put this on I was disappointed and thought what a fucking waste! But after those first few plays quite a few tracks got better and now I must admit it's a grower. This compilation is a good guide to what's really kicking off in punk up in Scotland, and was only faulted by the prominent exclusion of External Menace, Sad Society and of course the Exploited. You can't help but get sucked into the first track by Ex Cathedra who are put in the shade by that young baby gurgling away and doing a great job in promotion. The Newtown Grunts supply another catchy fat blast of skanka punk. I noticed a lot of the tracks have a Ska feel which seems on epidemic proportions in Scotland these days. The Destructos are another high with a great beefy guitar sound on 'Chatline Girl'. Pity the vocals wasn't more up front. 4 Past Midnight carry on the momentum on the angry 'As Our World Turns' and that great in your face guitar riff on the chorus. The Gin Goblins were a bit restrained from what I was expecting. But sidekick group the Grisley Ghosts Of Guy supplied the sinister slightly Dead Kennedys inspired 'The Man That Laughed'. Machine Gun Etiquette offer the singalong 'Social Insecurity'. And 3D Scream seek to be doing a good imitation of Newtown Grunts on 'Junkiesville'. The Happy Spastics fill in where the Exploited should've been with the same early style. So not a bad compilation with only a few so so tracks. Good to see a zine like (Runnin Feart) doing more than slagging stuff off like that Suffragette fucker used to do. WORTH A LISTEN £6 or $10 postpaid RUNNIN FEART |
| BLADDER BLADDER BLADDER 'On The Job With...' promo Tape By the time your reading this, the Bladder boys will have released this debut CD on Pelado Records from California I think? So this premixed version ain't the full story by a long shot, but is a healthy audition for the real thing. What I like most about Bladder Bladder Bladder is their utter disregard for their new homeland and they tell it like it is! They don't preach or try and look trendy they are just fucking honest and rip the piss gloriously! Some of the younger punk bands could take a leaf out their well dodgy cheque book. Coz tunes and sing-a-long anthems are something these cowboys churn out with rapid regularity. Sure they may purloin a Steve Jones power chord here or a Clash song structure there, but who better than to inspire a gang of chancers than the best! The Bladder boys have some great addictive tuneage falling about all over this 13-song set for all you punk rock swankers out there.'On The Wagon' is possibly a state that Bladder Bladder Bladder will never be in! It's sniggeringly funny with a beefy chorus, as they spell out the trials and tribulations of going without a drink. These jokers are a laff a minute courtesy of their Stockport/London connection. Another version of 'Crime Pays' is given an outing but I never get bored of this song, with piss-taking lyrics like..."In the East end of the wild west crime pays, Coz Uncle Sam he likes white bread best crime pays" It sure fucking does when you've got Hollywood as your backdrop (ha!).What I find most amusing about these cheeky fuckers is (and this might not go down too well with the yanks amongst us) their continual 'bite the hand that feeds ya' philosophy on the American dream. American ex-pats ain't supposed to think like that are they? Well these leeches do and I admire em more for it (tee hee). The duel vocals of Mick Bladder and Sterling Paramour are a great buffer for each other especially on their calling card of 'Carry On Swanking' . Which has Fatty Jones written all over it. Followed by the upbeat 'The World Is Not Enough' which takes us on a roller coaster ride through a century of swindling, scams and idling. You can't blame em coz these yobs are singing about it and probably living it to a certain degree which deserves respect from these cold climates. If I was there I'd be doing just the same. I was a bit dubious about the inclusion of the two covers including a tame version of 'Rise' by PIL, a Bladder original would've been more than welcome, but who cares coz I don't. 'On The Job' looks set to more than wet any punks whistle for their fully blown 'Demand The impossible' ransom demands. God Save The Queen marr saan! US/UK CONTENDER For more info check out www.bladderbladderbladder.com BLADDER BLADDER BLADDER |
| BADTOWN BOYS 'Another Fine Day' (nra80cd) CD 1999 From the bad to the ugly! God I fucking hate this uninspiring, safe, session musician guitar drivel!!! A type of music that has that tired pansy vocal harmonizing and ultra melodic feel about it all over the place! This ain't fucking punk...it can't be!!!! 13 tracks of unusually safe rock, especially for the ugly mug shots who sing and play on it. You'd expect that these world weary fuckers would have some great street story's to tell us instead of middle aged and sanitised sonnets, that have as much to do with punk as U2. There ain't no real anger here and there ain't no scorch mark identity that could make this band stick out. In fact Badtown Boys seem a pretty faceless bunch. This music don't show no character as far as I can see, and I've played the fucker a few times hoping I'd missed something but apparently I ain't. On a good point It's played well and they know their instruments but I'm afraid play-in instruments well does not always signify great punk rock you need something more. 'Another Fine Day' is just too fucking squeaky clean and too well rehearsed!!! Sack the singer, lose some weight, get rid of the facial hair and try and capture that early spirit what got you into this fucking game in the beginning!!!! Badtown USA huh! PLASTIC. www.newredarchives.com |
| THE STIFFS 'The Punk Collection' (ahoycd102) CD 1999. I was well impressed by this UK band from the dark distant days of the late 70's. I always remembered seeing their name supporting the bigger guns at London's Lyceum back in heady 1980's, but never actually got to hear em until this come through the post. From the first track 'Inside Out', which I vaguely recognized from some long lost John Peel show many moons ago, I knew these were gonna be more than just a name. It's one of those songs that sticks to you like a beggar in a pub, but you just can't put a name to it. So once those crashing power chords and well timed halted punktuations kicked in, it bought it all back. I was shocked to read in the sleeve notes that these had been around in one shape or form since '76! Before they fizzled out somewhere in Europe circa 88! They were never big news amongst the then cliquey London punk music media, coz coming from the wrong end of the country (Blackburn to be precise) had big disadvantages... mores the pity. The Stiffs represent a type of punk that's probably associated with melodic new wave by today's brutal standards. But don't get the wrong idea, coz the Stiffs have a fucking powerful motor running under their well composed addictive bonnet. And as some disc jockey who once referred to em as being "the Slade of the 1980's" was never taken seriously, on this 20-track slab it's pretty well founded. Phil Hendriks lead vocals/ guitar ain't no guttural Noddy Holder, but he does have a hard, no-messing powerful vocal to trade off with the crunching but articulate dual guitars. They also have a strange Glitter band sound as well in a few of the songs, which don't sound half as bad as it reads. Especially on the atmospheric 'It's Not Rock 'n' Roll' with it's echoing "Hey" chants and the big beefy Phil Spector sound alike of 'Yer Under Attack'. They do slow things down on their more commercial attempts in songs like 'Affairs Of The Heart' which don't really do much for em, unlike their more energetic numbers... 'Volume Control' and the classy 'Innocent Bystander'. The Stiffs live up to their name and know how to create a dog rough glance at the opposite sex in what's gotta be a love song, dare I say it! Yeah in today's punk circles it's sacrilege and pretty hard to find a song like this but 'Goodbye My Love' is similar to the Star Jets in the way they can really pull it off without it being naff...pardon the pun. You can also tell by any band who sing about guitars (Lurkers/ Guitar Gangsters) etc. that they have a love affair with em and like the Lurkers maybe that's why the Stiffs never really connected with an audience on a bigger scale, coz they were just yer average Joe off the streets who played sweat ridden, loud, rock 'n' roll that was too powerful or fiery to be categorized under anything else but punk. Probably their best song if not the catchiest came via the infectious '(Bring On the) Chelsea Girls' that could've stormed the charts easy with the right backing. The Stiffs made a comeback at this years Morecambe all-dayer so I dunno how that went?, but with songs like 'Inside Out' and 'Chelsea Girls' I bet they were worth seeing. So check this out if yer can coz it's well WORTH A LISTEN The Stiffs or Captain Oi! Records |
| THE PILLAGE PEOPLE 'Attack of the Bloodsucking Retards' (oinko11) CD 1999. These are fucking mad, goofy and very funny on this their debut album of curiosities. 'Attack Of The Bloodsucking Retards' is like taking a ride through the subconscious of some pissed off lunatic. They have captured the burlesque humour of the Dead Kennedy's and the looniness of a zombified Dickies in attitude and style. The only thing missing is tighter arrangements, but that's a minor detail cos this 15 song slab of entertainment is a rare find in today's punk scene! It's got no boundaries, no regimented formula and most of the tracks come at you from completely different angles. Quite a surprise too, considering it's out on the ultra 'street- punk' label Oink! Records. But a welcome one! The Pillage People (great name) kick off with the addictive 'Hey Koolaid Man' that's an energetic ghost-ride through South American government crimes and conspiracies and is probably their most addictive song on the album with it's chanting chorus. I also love the cryptic organ that makes an appearance at timely moments on this platter. This band ain't scared to experiment too. They're definitely not for those of a nervous disposition as the intro to 'Gas Chamber' proves! It's good enough to put the biggest serial killer off a murderous spree! The song topics are across the board which I like and cover such suburbanite topics as Jail addiction, sperm, high school killings and waste disposal cover ups which gives it a comical but diverse feel. The Pillage People who hail from the car jacking capitol of the US (Delaware) are fucking certifiably mad as hell but have fun doing it which in turn makes it fun to listen to coz they have a great novel way of dishing out their punk tunes. They opt for the more traditional punk blasts on 'Waste Of Sperm' that has a good solid punk riff running through courtesy of co- songwriter Rahne Pastor who also produced this set of morbid curiosity. No morals in a punk band is a redeeming quality and sadly missing in today's climate, but it gives these jokers that extra edge. If you can't point out some of life's facts why bother? Most of the songs are wrote by the deadly duo of Pastor and lead singer Aric Calfree who looks like Jello Biafra circa '80 on the cover shot. So maybe the resemblance ends there... coz the humour certainly don't. This bands seeps humour like the sewers in Royston Vasey, and in the same black kinda way. Take 'Dead Rock Stars' which is a rundown of the fatalities in rock with the classic line of "Easy E was felled by Aids, I hope the rest use razor blades' (snigger), which sums this album up. They also do a funny version of that old sixties hit 'The Blob'. That great cheesy organ rears it's ugly little head one more time on the penultimate track 'Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself' which boasts some fucking nutter letting rip over a pumping organ. The Pillage People just basically take the piss but it's done with very sharp originality! Check these out coz they are sick, mad and insane just like all good punk bands should be. US CONTENDER $12.00 Oink! Records PO Box 27813, Washington, DC 20038, USA or www.streetpunk.net/pp/index.html |
| THE STARJETS 'God Bless Starjets Punk Collection' (ahoycd99) CD 1999 First time I actually heard anything by this late 70's Belfast punk band. And I gotta say on this collection it's a pretty good diverse sound. Their style is straight from the early poppy side of the late 70's UK punk arena. Similar to the Skids if you want a rough comparison, but the Starjets had a lot more scope courtesy of duel guitarists/ vocalists...Terry Sharpe and Paul Bowen. They supply some great catchy power pop punk vocals that come in a crisp production in this their 21 song repertoire. You can see why record giants Epic snapped em up! They were classed in some punk circles as the Bay City Rollers of punk! Which is understandable with their youthful boy next door looks and clean cut vocal harmonies. Take 'Run With the Pack' as a prime example. You can sniff they were going all out for the bigger chart success, which sometimes got em giving us really throwaway ballads. This CD won't attract the noise boys out there but if your a punk with a penchant for more melodic punk outtings then this on further listening will actually have you hooked. But by far the Starjets best attributes were their splendid anthems like on 'What A Life'. It's got great chorus and guitars attacks. They also know how to change style with ease and on the sugar coated intro to 'Smart Boys' which gives it a really sickly sweet feel you think oh noooo but before you chuck the CD in the bin it quickly turns into a smart little new wave number that actually fucking works! The Starjets have the knack to create addictive tales through their songs of life amongst the back-drop of the troubles, especially with songs about love across the divide. Which 'I'm So Glad' that has a brilliant lyric of "Religions in our way, Ignorance Is tragic, I've even heard them say, Cupid was a Catholic" and the optimistic 'War Is Over' along with the brilliant 'War Stories' single that reached the UK charts back in 1979. They have harmonies that the boy bands of today would kill for but instead of manufactured kids and samples singing em you've got punks from the war torn streets of Belfast with duel guitars and addictive rifferama kicking off in the background, these songs are actually real. 'Shiraleo' was another hypnotic singalong blast and the last record to be released under the Starjets tag. They changed their name to Tango Brigade when co-singer Paul Bowen left and released the atmospheric 'Donegal' and 'In Vain' 45 which seen em disappear.Yeah Northern Ireland had a knack of producing snappy exciting punk bands and although the Starjets are probably more poppy than most they are well WORTH A LISTEN Captain Oi! Records |
| THE BOYS 'The Boys' (ahoycd101) CD 1999 Another rerelease here from the UK's Captain Oi! stable, and this time it's The Boys debut album (plus bonus tracks), which was first released in the summer of hate 1977. The Boys however were pretty much classed as second division punk compared with the bigger guns of the Pistols and Clash. They also had bad luck with the original release due to some fat fucker called Elvis kicking the bucket!, so this got pretty much ignored by the music press when it hit the streets. And to tell you the truth, they had far too few really standout classics cuts amongst their set. But with hindsight this a great collection and shows us just how good the smaller, lesser known original UK punk bands actually were. The Boys always had a heavy rock 'n' roll feel to their sound particularly with Casino Steels piano, and this for me is their only detraction. Gimme an organ but a piano just don't cut if for me. They do however use it low in the mix which I think was planned to give em more edge. And along with some great cocky vocals, supplied by Kid Reed and Matt Dangerfield make this album worth your attention. I do like the way they have clever simple lyrics that portrays a lifestyle of sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll...and of course being skint which added that real life touch to em. This band were a groupie magnet by all accounts and unlike the boring straight-edge punks of today who are more prone to a life-style of papal proportions they certainly had a few songs up their sleeves about their shagging, drinking and drug exploits. Songs that were dead witty without being blatantly sexist. Their best track on this album and probably in their entire career is captured in the classic second single 'First Time' , all about losing your cherry! A slow but powerful addictive number with it's fatalistic "Oh Oh Oh Oh" chants on the chorus secures em a place up there with the best of em. Another favourite was 'Cop Cars' with it's typical '77 police siren of wailing guitars in the background and of course 'I Don't Care' for obvious reasons.The Boys had some great catchy ditties on this release and although they ain't all out and out classics there ain't really a bad track amongst em, and there's fucking 22 to choose from. They end the collection with the hilarious 'Worm Song' , an adaptation of some old nursery rhyme, which they released under pseudonym the Yobs for Xmas 1977. Great sleeve notes and lyrics. Definitely a UK CONTENDER for this prime slice of punk history. Captain Oi! Records |
| ASSERT 'Left Opposition' (haus029) CD 1999 Fast manic depressive, powerful political hardcore here with local angry bastards Assert from Telford. First time I'd heard these on vinyl and have only just seen em in a live situation, which was a bit disappointing. No confrontational outbursts, no bashing around the walls that I had heard they were capable of. But to be fair to veteran singer Britt who was spewing up prior to the gig, he wasn't in the best of health! But back to the album, yeah this is a real surprise for me. Assert have their own sound if that's possible in the straightedge UK hardcore scene and that's mainly down to Britts vocals. They are pretty unique, a sort of Lemmy crossed with Leon Trotsky, if you get my meaning? Angry and determined with a snarl that sets the songs apart from the hounding pack. I somehow couldn't get into the pseudo-intellectual lyrics that read like they are from a Socialist Workers mag. But hell I'm just another dumb white suburban punk! Although Assert's Sinister and O'Sqeel (bass and guitar respectively) have sussed out how to change guitar gear in mid-song without it becoming a chore to listen to, the sometimes tinny drum sound and that hardcore stop/start structure that this type of punk seems bound to, leaves me feeling frustrated. Lets hope the new drummer-boy from Wolves can show em the light! 'A.T.V.' is one of the standout tracks to shout about..."the Alien box in the corner", followed by the anti-labour 'United Colours' which is my favourite track along with the pounding 'Statement Of Intent' , all about working class solidarity. Fucking hell the working class hate each other where I come from! I couldn't take a double album of this rhetoric though, coz there ain't one glimmer of humour in or around this band. They are just too fucking depressing which adds to their intensity but leaves a monotonous atmosphere in the air. 'Left Opposition' is definitely music to man the barricades with or to play before your going into the ring. But to listen to this for pure punk entertainment or fun leaves me cold. Maybe I'm an old cunt with no stamina anymore but it would be good to hear these make a joke song, just for the crack! But I doubt that chief tyrant and Assertive revolutionary Britt would let his shield drop or stand for that kinda nonsense within his band. WORTH A LISTEN just for the intensity coz you certainly won't need an ice pick to make your ears burn with this album. Household Name Records |
| DESTINATION VENUS 'Speak Up Brown...Your Mumbling' (hsI14) CD 1999 This Stoke band are a hard bunch of straight, misfits to weigh up? First and foremost their pop punk attitude is a hard one to get round in the Wolf's Lair, I can tell ya. Call me glum or moody but I wanna be entertained not nullified by throwaway poppy songs. It just don't do it for me! This bright, happy, false feel to their music just grates with me. And those comedy vocals make this an odd 16- song collection. What Destination Venus do have going for em is a good powerful duel guitar sound, and of course they don't take themselves too seriously! Which is good. They have a handful of catchy numbers and 'Speak up Brown...' does get slightly better with more plays. They seem to be living out their Stoke On Trent fantasy on this CD. A dream-world of birds, booze and surf. Which to anyone who's ever had the misfortune to visit the grey inbred streets of Stoke will know that ain't nor could ever be true. Crabby the quirky vocalist pours out his heart on getting a bird, going down the match and loads of other lighthearted observations, in tracks like 'Ist time', 'Dweeb' and 'Suckers'. Their best songs were probably the football rousing 'Saturday' and the infectious 'He Goes Everywhere', about a stalker (snigger). At least they pick a couple of varied covers to bang out with that oldie 'Spaceman' and the Clash's 'Capitol Radio'. Destination Venus are a bunch of seasoned sensibly dressed blokes who can play their instruments, know a tune or two and can belt em out as good as the next. But as I said this type of jokey punk doesn't really get me motivated at all and leaves ya with an AVERAGE sounding album. see IMPACT link for where they are now. |
| TV MEN 'Channel Fiction' (tv99) CD 1999 French TV Men have always had a shoddy reputation, so why name your band after cunts like that eh? Well this version of TV Men have been around a few years now and they play rock 'n' roller kinda punk in an Iggy & The Stooges vein, which ain't bad in places, but those god awful broken English vocals read positively like an 'Ello Ello' sketch! So forget the lyrics coz they mean fuck all...this is a band who sing about macho lovers, porn mags and being chased by the FBI (snigger). It's the duel guitars that sustain the Asheton breaks and vibes but it all seems so ordinary in the long- run coz nothing at all on here grabs ya. The whole 9 tracks leave a pretty lame taste in your mouth. They do a Supersuckers theme song which will win em no favours but it is probably the most lively song on the CD! On the whole though this is just like being witness to demos from a Stooges tribute session but without Iggy and Ron Asheton of course. Not bad, but not good either just fucking AVERAGE I guess. Mass Production Records. |
| KIILLSWITCH Demo Tape 1999 These are a young trio of kids from up in Scotland. So maybe they can learn something before it's too late to realise this dross ain't gonna do us or them any favours. From the opening chords this six-track demo sounds like indie rock! Which is the harbinger of doom for this punk rock web site. And no I won't and fucking will not condone indie rock in any shape or form. It's like a bad form of the pox, it's gets all over the place and needs radical disinfection right now! Talk about dreary and depressing with that Kurt Cobain heroin feel hanging around on tracks like 'Acid Rain'. No this is too bland and too fucking student for my senses. They had one good guitar riff on the last track 'Sticky Hippy' but that ain't gonna save this from the pit of banality. File under NO FUTURE for you! I lost their address but it's alright boys, I don't wanna embarrass you any further OK! NEXT!!!! |
