1999:     PAGE 1 - PAGE 2 - PAGE 3 - PAGE 4
SNOTTINESS... Punk Rock Classic - World Contender - Worth A Listen - Average - Plastic - No Future
PUNK ROCKER
REVIEWS
RECORD REVIEW INDEX
THE POSERS
'The Posers'
(oinkO!10) 1999 CD
'I was really looking forward to this
record after the brilliant
'Kill The
Ravers'
EP back in '98 but The Posers
from Ontario, Canada seem to have
gotten a bit slack and laid-back on this
one. Their early snot and anger has
taken a back seat to a more drunk punk
kinda style which ain't half as rabid as
their previous. Even the songs are
pretty tame in comparison with only
'Town Drunks' being one particular
highlight of the set, with it's antisocial
attitude and those great slowed down
vocals of
"I said gimme the goddamn
beer!"
at the very end. You also get
that raw, dirty riffing here and there, but
it's broken up by that irritating stop-start
hardcore style that spoils the meaty riffs
no end. Particularly on the other
standout track
'Better Off Dead'. Maybe
it's coz there were a few lineup changes
during the recording of this debut
album? Coz they go through two
guitarists! But even Rayney Forsters
vocals get lazier as the album
progresses and have totally lost that
Keith Morris circa
Black Flag snarl he
had earlier!
The Posers actually sound
like fucking poseurs on this album and
they even attempt a bit of back to
basics Oi! on
'Threat'. Which no doubt
pleases the boots 'n' braces brigade
but it leaves us punks bored shit- less.
They also slaughter
Blitz's 'Someone's
Gonna Die Tonight'
which pales into
insignificance alongside the original.
Especially those vocals supplied by
guitarist Luthor Heron (stick to the
guitar mate!) They even attempt some
thrash on
'Slumlord'. Talk about
differing styles, sometimes a band is
better sticking to what it does best!
They do add a bit of comedy on the
end with an acoustic
'Dragons', that
was funny in a Monty Python kinda way.
Also the fabulous long-running cover
artwork was still intact, with more great
cartoon mayhem. But little details like
that couldn't save this album from being
a major disappointment ...how the
mighty have fallen!
AVERAGE
Available for $15.00 (worldwide) from
Oink! Records, PO. Box 27813,
Washington D.C., 20038-78, USA.
Latest update the Poseurs have split
and Rainy was last heard of drumming
for
the Clusterfux.
ICONS OF FILTH
'Show Us You Care'
(BBP Records) 45 1999
I was pretty disappointed with this 6
tracker, taken from a live gig back in
their heyday in the dark distant realm
of 1984!
Icons Of Filth (great name)
were one of those Anarcho bands who
made a name for themselves by nearly
always being one of the opening bands
for
Conflict or some other bigger
profiled protest band. But this EP was a
real let down with it's typically trashy
production and painfully tinny sound! A
sound that was pretty rough! For a
release back in '84 this would never
have seen the light of day. But now it
seems record labels will put out
anything by a band who were always
3rd rate down on the bill. And we kid
ourselves that some 16 years later, it's
all gonna sound better than it ever
really was! Gumby vocals are supplied
by yet another Steve Ignorant clone.
And are attached to yet more songs
about nuclear destruction, religion,
decay and the usual hell and
damnation quotas we suffered all those
years ago. It does come in a great
package with fold out lyrics and
artwork, which BBP Records should be
proud of, but bending over backwards
to get this really 3rd rate sound out is a
disgrace to the fans and bands around
today who could really knock out
something good. I think their judgement
and taste has seriously gone out the
window on this release
NO FUTURE
BBP Records Box 81, 82 Coulston
Street, Bristol, BS1 5BB, UK.
RED ALERT
'The Rarities'
(ahoycd107) CD 1999
Finally getting back round to my big 2
year old CD review pile. I had to leave
off from these when I moved sites 3
months ago. It's took me that long to
review the Captain Oi! releases alone.
So the label deemed me lazy enough
to cut me off their list ha! Well first out
the trap is this 'Rarities' album which is
the only
Red Alert album I own. They
come from Sunny Sunderland in the UK
and are one helluva hard band to
understand lyrically? Lead vocalist
Cast Iron Smith ain't exactly elocution
in vogue but they produced a really
lively early noise. So I was looking
forward to this 22 track demo set. A
demo might be a rough vision of any
band, but demos are real. There ain't
no studio trickery so it's
Red Alert laid
bare. Gotta admit
Red Alert demos
1981-1982 are the songs that stand
out for me.
'We Got The Power' and
the rowdy
'Its The Boys' are great
slabs of youthful Rejects/Clash
sounding punk. But this was short-lived
I'm afraid and the band went downhill
pretty fast after track 5. It's surprising
what 2 years in a bands shelf life can
produce. From that rough 'n' ready
spirited honest style they turn into a
cheapskate, third rate version of Give
Em Enough Rope era
Clash. Although
they still created some good songs like
'One Mans Resistance', 'Dreams From
The Ghetto'.
And their structures were
a lot more creative like on the skanking
'24 Hours In London' it just didn't do it
for me. Their main culprit seemed to be
guitar hero Tony Van Frater. When he
started introducing acoustic guitar it
went plastic. Their version of
'White
Man In Hammersmith Palais'
was a
good cover though. By 1990 the band
had split for two years but reformed
and come out with 3 demos which were
even more jangly and as far away from
their Sunderland bunker punk roots as
you could get.
Red Alert admit in the
sleeve notes that
'The Light Has Gone'
has never been heard before and I can
see why... more jangling boredom.
There's something about Geordies that
when they get all serious and
sentimental they sound like cunts ha!
Upstarts et all went through it so it
looks like it's
Red Alerts period. Jump
to 1992 and
Red Alert finally shake off
their pretentious bender and knock out
'Across The Lake' which shows guts
and don't sound like they're acting or
entering MOR rock territory only just.
The next demos come from their
'Blood, Sweat & Beer' album which
weren't thankfully used and they admit
they were the worst experiences in a
studio ha! Although
'Still Burning' was
rough as fuck it was a great song. And
more like what you'd expect from em at
this stage in their career. Mr Van
Frater actually produces some long
sought after power chords. Fair play to
em for including
'The Face Of My
Shadow'
which has gotta be Red
Alerts
most out of depth track on the
album. It had to be rescued by some
female session singer who was paid to
take Mr Smith to the cleaners, and you
can see why. They do end on a high
with a blinding cover of
Shams 'If the
Kids Are United'
and 'England' by the
Upstarts which must've been pretty
embarrassing even for Cast Iron Smith.
AVERAGE
Captain Oi! Records
P.A.I.N. featuring Howard Marks
'Lets Grow More Weed'
(musicmedia) CD/45 1999
This is a funny release as it's aimed at
a mass popular market and Top Of The
Pops!!!!, but who are they really
kidding? This just ain't catchy enough
for a crossover audience let alone a
punk one. Using some hippy writer from
Loaded mag sure ain't the best way to
put over the delights of Cannabis. If
anything this will make the kids think...
"fucking hell is that what we'll end up
like after years of draw!" No thanks!
Everyone knows dope blurs yours
energy and this kinda dub folky track
blurred mine. I dunno about
P.A.I.N.
getting involved with this joker Howard
Marks, I thought they had more suss! It
sure don't help their more angry
sounding niche. They are eventually let
loose from the ''ippy trail on the final
two better tracks coz it's what they do
best...protest!!! In fact they'd have
more chance of radio play with their
own songs, at least they ain't contrived.
'P.A.I.N' is the bands anthem and
'
Road Rage' paints a vivid picture of
going for a nice Sunday drive tooled up
to the eyeballs!!! One thing that did let
the 2 punk tracks down, was the
predictable use of a saxophone!!! Why
do punk bands only let the sax blurt out
at specified moments in the song?
They could sure take a leaf from
X-Ray
Spex
or Neon Hearts to realise the
full use a sax in a punk sound can
ignite. Comes with a lyric sleeve and a
pontificating picture of the Hippy in
question! Title track
NO FUTURE
the rest AVERAGE
P.A.I.N.
CONCRETE SOX 99
'The New EP'
(Data008) 45 1999  
Derby's other name band from the 80's
is resurrected here with 4 tracks of
speedy, doom laden basic hardcore.
Sean C's vocals are average growls
and accompanied by some raging
guitar at times. But does verge onto
heavy metal territory in parts. I seen
these in a Derby pub one Sunday
afternoon. And I wondered why most of
the local crowd all went outside? Now I
know why!!! This EP is a lot better than
that stale live performance but only
just. It's far too one dimensional and
has been done a thousand times
before by more original and better
bands. Some of the sinister guitar rifts
are good but the overall appeal was
dated. They look a right sorry bunch
on the cover and perhaps
Concrete
Sox
Anita the right description for
these gloomy fakers! Maybe a
concrete overcoat would do the trick.
AVERAGE
Available from
Data Records now defunct.
CHELSEA
Punk Rock Rarities'
ahoycd106) CD 1999
Fucking hell yet more Chelsea. The
Captain Oi! label sure know how to top
a group in cold blood. If the whole
band were just a bunch cunts, instead
of Gene October. Then this would be
laughed out the punk arena as sad old
punks going through the motions. But
you gotta admit they're still a good live
prospect even today, despite Genes
chip on his shoulder. And
Chelsea for
all their faults had the ability to write
some great anthems for a while.
However I can't say this gets much play
in the Wolf's Lair. And as I'm a '77
despot and a big fan of the singles this
band put out. It's only good for the
taste of the sweaty vibes that summer
of hate bought out in punk band on a
shoestring budget. This is pure rough
cut '77 punk rock for all you record
hunters. Sort of sluggish in today's
scene. But at the time was an
enormous kick in the bollocks to
anything musical that preceded it!!!!
Everyone of the bands anthems are on
here... some twice! Which is pretty
much pollyfilla territory, coz there ain't
a lot between each version. So will only
benefit
Chelsea completeists no
doubt. These demos and remixes sure
don't beat the final mix versions that hit
the street. And by the way you can find
all those on the 'Punk Singles
Collection' released on this same label.
But even so, along with
'Right To
Work'
and gutter anthems like 'No
Admission'
and 'High-rise Living' it's
gotta be worth one listen. Biggest
suprise was getting to hear the ultra
rare
'Blind Date' which is a great full on
song. And not too dissimilar to the
Damned's 'Sick Of Being Sick' riff.
Hence the
"eat your heart out Rat
Scabies"
yell before it kicks in. We do
get quite a few of the bands more
average tracks along the way. So
beware new listeners. Maybe this is a
good blueprint for a young punk band
who don't wanna scream or preach
politics. Or maybe it's just a cash in?
Who knows and who cares? If original
punk rocks your thaaang look here or
better still try the
Pistols for the real snot. And lastly the
sleeve notes give you the definitive
Chelsea discography.
AVERAGE
Captain Oi! Records
DEHUMANIZED
'Problems First'
(newredarchives) CD 1999
Dehumanized are a promising new
signing to the reliable NRA label. They
hail from the streets of New Jersey.
And have an interesting debut release
in 'Problems First'. This full length has
over 14 tracks of angst ridden,
energetic guitar punk. A sound that
has an East coast feel to it. Songs like
'Mommy's Killin' has an infectious
chorus with a memorable reprise of
what's coming down on the streets
today. With that infectious guitar riffing
ringing out towards the end. Their well
thought out song structures has an
almost suffocating feel to em. There's
that much to take in! These are traded
in with a more basic sound on
'Fuck
You Where's My Brew'
. Which seems
totally out of character and has gotta
be more of a piss-take than an actual
ode to the demon drink! I like the hum
drum
'Coo- Coos' track with it's
'cuckoo' sound bite and
'Better Later
Days' with a skanking atmospheric.
The one thing I couldn't really get my
head around was some of the cryptic
lyrics, which were hard to fathom? And
with so many chord changes in some
of the songs made em jagged! Best
track however for me had to be the
final catchy speed of light
'Gimme The
Scoop'
and it's "social anaconda"
lyric that bastardized the lying,
cheating critics and general
bandophiles who love a name and
drop em when the next big thing hits
town!...a bit like me (ha ha) Good stuff
though!! Oh before I forget right at the
end I discovered after only about 25
plays plays that there's a secret hidden
track which is probably great in
recording and record company post
production ideas department. But is a
right bastard for us impatient punks!
Still this is
WORTH A LISTEN.
www.newredarchives.com
THE EXPELLED
'A Punk Rock Collection'
(ahoy105) CD 1999
Police sirens drag this 17 song
compilation into the 21st century as the
early 80's get revisited once more by
Captain Oi! records.
The Expelled a
four-piece from Leeds, UK who existed
between 1981-84 were one of many
UK punk outfits who made a small dent
on the scene in the second wave of
punk. They had numerous lead
singers, but their main weapon on this
session being the original and cuddly
big Jo ball. She gave
the Expelled
that
Vice Squad touch but without
quite as much power and attitude of
Miss Bondage.
The Expelled were a
band truly walking in
Vice Squads
stiletto heels. And using the
Vice
Squad
drummer as producer/guru
made it all the more obvious. The song
structures and style are so close on
these recordings it's eery. But they did
manage to create their own sound on
songs like '
Government Policy' , 'No
Life No Future'
and 'Blown Away'.
Basic rifferama guitars backed by
adequate bass 'n' drums powered em
along in the early 80's but 20 years on
they don't half sound tame. By 1982
big Jo the Bodacea of the Leeds punk
scene made her exit from
the
Expelled
punk rock arena and opted
for married bliss to a British Squaddy.
We are then given the next best thing
which turned out to be Bristolian
punkette Penny, who does a pretty
good job in the studio at short notice
on
'Cider' (the humourous amber
nectar song) and
'Violent minds'. But
for some dubious reason the compilers
fail to include any tracks featuring the
other girl vocalist who actually gigged
with the band, the raven haired
Jewelie. She was apparently
inadequate for our ears but done a
Peel session with the band which of
course makes you wanna hear her all
the more if she was really that bad! But
hey what do you expect from biased
producers wielding their control. And
the inclusion of some obvious filler
tracks was a bit of a let down as far as
us completists are concerned. Near the
end of the bands career, the bass
player Macca takes over vocal duties
which works really well on the epic
'Waiting For Tomorrow' probably their
most intricate piece. Although the other
numbers he sung on were pretty dull in
comparison. We then retreated back to
some Jo fronted demos with the 45
'Army Life' adding to their better
numbers. Apparently bands like
the
Expelled
are now big influences on
newer all-female punk outfits like
the
Devotchkas
from New Yoik???, which
only leads us into one
conclusion.....hope they sound more
powerful.
AVERAGE
www.captainoi.com
SLUDGEFEST
'Baby You Fuck Me Up'
(dlp20006) CD 1999
This is like a bad Stooges tribute
rolled into Black Sabbath, especially
on the guitar sound. The vocals are
screaming, Americanised, spandex
theatrics which I fucking hate with a
vengeance. What is novel about this
4-tracker is the length of the tracks,
the whole four tracks are under 5
minutes... so no time to get that bored!
The
'Instrumental #4' track boasts a
harmonica in the set-up but this is just
too metalhead for my punk rock
needs.
Sludgefest (the name really
gives the game away)
bring to mind
failed studio technicians fucking
around with some spare studio time on
their hands!
NO FUTURE
IN THE SHIT
'The Fall Of The Damned'
(mass013) 45 1999
5 songs about revenge, being
force-fed to conform, paedophile
vicars and saving the planet are pretty
diverse subject matter for one EP. But
they all appear on here in one shape
or form, but this subject matter was let
down badly by the way it was put over
and a big disappointment in the
Wolf's
Lair!
I'd heard a track here and there
from this band before which sounded
pretty interesting so was expecting
some good in your face stuff here. And
yeah it's in your face but was pretty
bleak in the covering new ground
section. Lets give a bit of history on
the band first to put you in the picture.
In The Shit hail from Methyr Tydfil
which is a pretty rough dog hole in
South Wales (well it was about 15
years ago!) So I can see the anger
coming out, but it's the way it comes
out that bugs me! It's so predictable,
so monotonous and has been done so
many times before! That it becomes
pretty fucking boring after 5 tracks.
Thrashing guitars, screaming one
dimensional vocals and angry lyrics
maybe some punks kind of fun but it
ain't mine...if it don't grab ya. This is
definitely
'topping yourself' music, so
maybe they have succeeded and
found a nice little niche for themselves!
The production didn't help either. It's
got more mud on tape than you'd find
on the boots of some shellshocked
cannon fodder squaddie from the first
world war! Splendid art cover though
and lyric insert by local artist Welly
doing em proud, but we ain't here to
review the fucking art are we? What's
a good cover without a good record
inside?....a bit of
PLASTIC. Suprisingly
it took two record companies (Mass
Products and Inflammable Material) to
come up with this white elephant...
makes you question or wonder about
their taste in fucking music!
Mass Products Records
BUG CENTRAL
'The Meek Will Inherit Nothing'
CD 1999
Anarcho punk incorporated! Well that's
the impression that most reviewers
seem to spout off about this band. But
I must admit that tag doesn't do
Bug
Central
justice. Yeah they're raw,
yeah they're angry and they bombard
us with a wide range of systematic
failings. But what I get from hearing
these rabid, raucous Londoners is
some- thing a little bit more than yer
average Anarcho combo of today has
to offer! And that something is suss!
By reading the lyrics y'know, that they
know the score all too well. And they
don't just pack a punch to go with their
angry pissed off demeanour. They've
got some blitzing tunes to send their
bomb on it's way!
Bug Central have
now got a new bass- player in their
lineup which will hopefully give em
chance of more gigs under their trio of
studded belts. Pity coz I thought Paul
Pot played a blinder on this album.
This debut however kicks off in fine
style with the
'Queens English' and the
trademark buzz- saw guitars, driving
bass and pounding drums propel us
through their 13-song rampage. As I
said this ain't your usual run of the mill
rant 'n' rave fair here. Oh no...they
have some great sarcastic lyrics that
not only spell out the trials and
tribulations this life has for us. But it's
conveyed in a strangulated take no
prisoners kinda way.
'Sick (again)' is
one of their best tirades and shows
they know a few tricks of the trade in
song structure. For instance slowing
down and speeding up as the fully
aware lyrics sums up this system, that
has it's slimey hands around all our
necks! Ending with that stand- out
yobbo sounding
"I'm gonna be a
problem"
end refrain, courtesy of Paul
Pot followed by Noodles Romanov's
(singer/guitarist) gut wrenched
(
snigger)..."you make me fucking
sick!"
epitaph! 'Moment of Clarity' is
another good track from a clever
debut. I like the way
Bug Central have
an everyday punk on the street look at
life. Something too many of the
preaching bands forget about or know
nothing of? I do think Noodles
Romanov's vocals (similar in style to
Justin Sane's from
Anti- Flags, scrawl)
could do with a bit more variation in
em. Coz their Jack Russell ranting
quality can get a message over loud
and clear but can also get a bit
monotonous after 13 tracks! However
their clever use of sound bites to
introduce some of the tracks were well
picked. And yeah not one guitar solo in
the whole album!!! Comes with a great
production, nothing tinny or
transistorized on 'ere! Plus some great
artwork and the full dirty lyrics spelt out
for you yanks.
UK CONTENDER
BUG CENTRAL
THE TWINKLES
'Dancing With The Pogo Kids'
(soda1) 45 1999
This 45 takes yer back to the time
when bands like
Tonight, The
Pleasers
etc.(who? you may ask)
were chalking up hits in the UK Top 30
back in '78. They all came under the
new wave/ power pop bracket and this
record could've easily have been
released at the same time, even down
to the tacky cover artwork! Italian punk
rock always had a different sqew on
things, and the way they perceive the
UK punk sound seems evident on this
release.
The Twinkles all the way
from
Italia seem to head far more for
the tuneful pop-punk sort of sound.
And by pop-punk I mean a highly
influenced '78 sound, not it's late 90's
counterpart! Their name does
absolutely nothing for me and on first
impressions the vocals are pretty
weak too. But their guitar sound is
infectious with a great high standard
production.
The Twinkles reckon
they are influenced by
The Boys, but
as far as record label logo's go that's
about it. The title track
'Dancing With
The Pogo Kids'
is a rather happy go
lucky kinda ditty that will probably go
down well with college radio stations
and kids into the music rather than the
lifestyle. It's a bit
too nice for me
though and lead singer/guitarist and
main songwriter Nick Mess's high
octane vocals sound strangely as
though he's got a bag full of helium on
permanent standby or he's been
jamming along to the Smurfs records
far too long! (snigger) But his Micky
Mouse tones are if anything original in
the way they are put over! I suppose
this is what real pop-punk should
sound like instead of being copied,
diluted and manufactured like the
other version seems to be. This 45 at
least has it's own sound all through
the 3 tracks on show. But dump the
fucking band name quick, coz it sucks
nearly as much as
Dogshit
Sandwich
!
WORTH A LISTEN
THE TWINKLES
I.D.K.
'Abnormal Position'
Demo CD 1999
An albums worth of demo's here just
goes to prove that some bands are
really getting up there with the
technology on offer.
I.D.K.'s offer of
11 tracks of recordings for demo's just
proves how the state of a rehearsal
room tape has come on in today's
climate.
I.D.K come across as a bunch
of bored ex-skinheads from the lower
East End, who one day while sitting in
some boozer decided to book a jam
session for a laugh and decided they
liked the noise they banged out. So
they produced this demo! Perhaps not
quite true...coz they actually make a
pretty decent racket on some of the 11
tracks (even if Trev Hagl doesn't think
so!) They are influenced by the early
punk giants but it's hard to weigh up
what influences they actually picked
up? They have a slight indie sound on
some of the tracks and Dave M their
blonde designer punk tone deaf singer
keeps that in the back of our minds on
most of the tracks with some very
sloppy singing. Dougie the guitarist is
a big
Rejects fan so there's bits of
them in here as well, mainly in attitude!
The guitars are a bit tinny, sort of like
early
Skrewdriver with a bit of
Menace thrown in on the riffs. But the
guitar is the bands saving grace, coz
their message (wot message?) wasn't
in evidence and some good licks
saved the day. Standout tracks
'Keep
On Rocking In The Free World'
were
catchy enough to warrant more
attention.
I.D.K. ain't scared to
experiment either, which on say the
brooding
'Anyday Now' plus the love
sick
'Cool Off' comes up with some
flange inspired riffs. They end things
with a predictable sing-a-long theme
tune
'Theme From IDK'. For a very
new street punk band there's plenty of
room for improvement, like some really
in your face tunes. But they seem to
have the means. All they need now is
more gigs and a tighter sound. They
are always after gigs and want a label
to release their stuff on ...join the
fucking queue boys!!! Oh yeah I never
did find out what
I.D.K. stood for???
AVERAGE
Contact idk.@talk21.com
1999:     PAGE 1 - PAGE 2 - PAGE 3 - PAGE 4
PUNK ROCKER
REVIEWS
RECORD REVIEW INDEX