| SNOTTYNESS... Punk Rock Classic - World Contender - Worth A Listen - Average - Plastic - No Future |
| DROPDEAD/TOTALITAR Split CDEP (PRANK046) 2002 The latest 9-track release from the raging Prank label outta San Francisco comes with an equally raging duo from the Extreme Hardcore wing of the punk arena. Both pioneering bands in their field so I'm led to believe? Well you can call me an old timer if you like but I'd say Discharge are written all over these pair, despite Ken Prank's claim of Siege being the instigators. Well whoever forged the first ring in the extreme noise sulphur pits Rhode Islands DropDead are totally new to me sonically speaking. I've spotted their name in print over the last decade in various hardcore zines like Hell & Damnation, and know they have a reputation worldwide amongst the hordes of extreme noise orks. However that rep. don't hold up to much on these tracks. This session sounds fast and extreme but predictable thrash. It's like they gotta be manic for manics sake, leaving a trail of blurred irritation in their wake. Maybe that's the point? This is a band who's drummer needs an award for flailing in an extreme environment. I don't predict a drummers life span in a thrash band is gonna be very long at all? And Dropdead is a suitable name as far a beating the drums goes, coz the whole band don't change pace for the entire 6 tracks. Which ain't no bad thing if it was a diverse attack, but sadly diversity is something Dropdead have yet to conquer. We have to sit through a very samey set whilst the screeching snarl supplied from Bob the singer, is just adding salt to our wounds. I was hoping they'd just for one song try and break the mould or change down a gear. They nearly did it on 'Emipre Of Bone' with that sinister intro that lasted all of 18 seconds, before it was soon back to the heads down and "fastest to the drummers funeral gets a Discore badge!" attitude. From this session alone, I'd say Dropdead are way overrated, but maybe as Ken suggests they're a lot better in a live situation, we live in hope. Totalitar who are Sweden's raging godfathers of classic political thrash, give us 3 snotty blasts in a less predicable fashion. Great snarly vocals are a bonus, backed with an impressive raw dose of thrash emanating from their amps. Despite the Swedish delivery getting lost on the translated lyric sheet (do we really need to know what bands of this ilk are singing about?) we are left to make up our own minds on what motivates goblins to pick up guitars and microphones? For bands like Totalitar you go solely with the mood of the songs, and these have a knack of creating one with subtle diversions in their style. Even a little chord change makes a big difference in the overall blitz. I think these would also suffer from over exposure on maybe an album, but the 3 tracks supplied here are just enough to impail you. Their best track was left till last and 'Ou Ar Status Qu' all about status in your own subterranean ghetto, has a great dirty Discharge riff we can all feel coming outta of a ripped up Marshall stack...good stuff! For an introduction not bad, but I still demand more from my punk rock than just heads down speed to get me charged. AVERAGE! www.prankrecords.com |
| SAD SOCIETY 6-track demo October 2002 I picked up this, the latest 6 track set from singer Deek whilst witnessing Sad Society live on stage in Brum last month (see gig reviews). It's great to say they live up to the songs both on stage and on record. Sad Society are a class punk act in the old tradition of tunes and big beefy guitars. However it's a sad fact of our punk society that they are still criminally unknown outside a small but growing Scottish fanbase. This set of demos brings us yet another 6 reasons to tempt some record company into putting their stuff out instead of the production line of crap a lot em flog us these days. This band need a bigger audience coz they just keep getting better and better. The 75% totally new line-up apart from original founder member Deek on vocals is by far the best one yet! Sad Society have been given a new lease of life, the new members have added new impetus and I hope it pays off for em. 'No Flowers' with a BIG guitar riffed intro builds up into a mid-paced monster that'll have you hooked from the opening salvos. It's clean hard power and tension at it's best especially when the guitars fully rip in. 'No-One' comes in with poweful drum rolls and more guitar bursts that move up a gear and comes over as pretty fast 'n' intense punk fayre till those machine gun drum rolls move into the grand finale of "No-One!" 'Weird' is where Deek's Edinburgh accent makes me think of Wattie Buchan! There are similarities in delivery I never noticed before and they're from the same city, but that's where the similarities end, coz Deek has a bit more suss I reckon. This also comes with a sinister laugh to keep you on the edge of your seat. 'Crucify' takes things on a more upbeat slant with some of the best arrangements, particularly the feedbacking last verse and neat guitar work. Deeks voice and the guitar and bassdriven roar are well in tune and it gives the band a new more powerful dimension. 'Phophesy' is more dealings with the future and what it holds, which seems to be the main influence on these set of songs... whats gonna happen next? Last track and my fave of the lot is a slow burning anthem called 'Suicide Party' that has a really nasty habit of kicking in full blast with it's anthemic "Invite...to Suicide...Suicide Party" fucking great stuff. Ain't it great to hear a punk band in this day 'n' age who are able to capture power, suspence and tension without a barrage of gurgled screams and hardcore ARRRRGGHSSS to spoil it all. These geezers have a definite simmering angst about em but it's bought out with suss and it's real coz they're REAL! SCOTTISH CONTENDER SAD SOCIETY |
| WEEKLY CAROUSE 'Too Old To Live, Too Young To Die' CDEP (HBRO17) 2002 "Were the middle children of history man, no purpose, no place. We have no great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives"....welcome to Weekly Carouse, who despite their drunken name are melodic German hardcore, crossed with a solid core of tunes. This 6-track CDEP is a lot better than I was anticipating. It's a definite improvement from my first sample of the band on the Derita Sisters live tour CD (reviewed elsewhere on this page). Weekly Carouse in the studio are way more superior. They create a fair share of melody, which is backed with a crystal clear powerful sound. They still sing about their 'Friends', but the feel ain't half as contrived as it sounds live. Frank the singer/guitarist tells me he's highly influenced by bands from the California scene, like Social Distortion and Social Unrest. Both good benchmarks and bands with tunes and turmoil in their make-up, that pretty much sums up what Weekly Carouse is all about. They can play their gear too, having been around the German scene for over a decade now. But they sometimes come over as perfectionists, which has a habit of giveing some of their tracks a clinical feel. And for uncultured swines like meself utter perfection is a drawback in punk. I was hoping they'd just let rip for a number or two, and capture the rawness from their live performance, along with their ultra smooth studio technique. All the songs are sung in perfect English because they sound better sung that way, apparently. They leave us well impressed with their last and best number, the epic sounding 'Who Are You?'. A track which is the standout number in their back catalogue, and translates well from the live track into the studio. This brooding number deserves your attention at the very least, and if they build up on tracks like this they gotta very bright future on the piss. WORTH A LISTEN! WEEKLY CAROUSE now defuct! |
| DRUNKEN WAR/GIRLUSH FIGURE Split 45 (UUR004) 2002 Two brand new young bands here from the American populous, and they are sandwiched on a split 45. Drunken War hail from New York and supply two tracks of snotty sounding pissed off punk, but with a conscience. Duel guitars give em extra edge and they sound like they got an early 80's influence in style on the anti-school number 'What Are They Teaching The Your Children'. It's a charging track which slates the American school system. Bands only sing about school these days if they're still in school I presume? And despite being such an old cunt, I can still identify with their views, it's the same the world over....school sucks! 'I've Got No Class' is probably the better track of the two, and gives em chance to show off a bit more ingenuity musically. They change gear towards the end which improves the track, but was a bit too short-lived for maximum effect. They also need to use that extra guitar more. What Drunken War need most is more wars, drink, gigs and a few more rehearsals to tighten up their sound, but what they got already looks promising enough to send em out on skimishes. Girlush Figure from Virginia are a female trio of smudgy eyeliner, period pains and a big early Babes In Toyland feel about em. They supply one track only, but it's a good 'un called 'Spy Eyes'. An acidic denouncement of girlish traits. They slow the pace right down with a solid bass run and drum beat that sets the scene for sporadic guitar attacks of slashing chords. We have to wait for the chorus for em to fully let rip, adding impact to their noise. This is all rounded off by a pissed off vocal all about breaking out from the nice little girl syndrome. Girlush Figure show plenty of imagination with what they can conjure up with a song, and prove you don't always need a heads down blitz to create atmosphere. Great production too. Comes in a gatefold sleeve with lyrics and band info. Good debut and WORTH A LISTEN! DRUNKEN WAR now defunct. GURLISH FIGURE DERITA SISTERS 'One Two Fuck You' (Real George Records) CD 2002 Another live album from the Derita Sisters second home, Berlin in Germany. 'One Two Fuck You' boasts a massive 30 tracks recorded at the Wild At Heart Club on February 18th 2002. For a band with literally hundreds of songs in their 10 year repetoire, they manage to select a good dose of their best and latest tunes. Like a lotta bands the anti is up full blast as the live situation drags everything into a higher gear. You can smell the sweat drenched, coke lined atmosphere from this little gathering, and that's just coming from the stage alone! As soon as one track is finished they blitz straight into the next without time for a breather apart from a few one liners for the Krauts. Live albums will never be my favoured sampling of any band, be it the Ramones or Deritas and unless your in the audience the vibe don't transfer. Like a lotta bands they suffer from a fair share of similar sounding numbers if you ain't familiar with em. I recommend you check out the studio albums first for the full impact of what these cheeky blighters from CA are all about. Having said that we do get a couple of newer ones slyly admitted for us Derita trainspotters. Songs like 'You Nerve Me' sounds like another ultra catchy little ditty to play at your sister. The pace of this whole set sounds like the band have wolfed down a large bag of speed or is it just they're very good and tight at what they do? Whatever the case they're certainly performing on all cylinders. Standouts are the brilliantly zany 'Last Gasp Of Youth', 'Whore Stories', 'Billy Wank And Bobby Toss' and the anthem like '77 Forever' for all us old cunts out there, plus the tragi-comedy of 'Nobody Cares' all about back home where they're criminally overlooked. Biggest laugh came about when they introduced 'Wino A Go-Go' by stating "it's our hit single in Slovenia" (snigger). Mid-set they ask the German audience to scream 'Fuck' which I think got lost in interpretation territory, but it was a nice try lads. They encore with the title track 'One Two Fuck You', a neat take on Wires original '12XU' plus a fucking great bonus version of Turbo Negro's 'I Got Erection'. The production and sound quality is on a par with major label backing except these fuckers do it all off their own bat which deserves a medal and is great to hear, so well done. WORTH A LISTEN. DERITA SISTERS |
| VARIOUS 'Northern Xposure Vol 1.' Tape (?) Just had a batch of 3 tapes sent in by Punk Rockers Northern Ireland undercover agent who wishes to remain annonymous, which is ok by me, but thanks for letting me hear these anyway. Ain't sure where they orginate from? But these are a great insight into this small corner of punk rock history. The collection consists of demo tracks, rehearsal tapes, live TV and radio clips from the Northern Ireland punk scene of the late 70's early 80's. Well onto Tape #1 whose tracklistings don't quite tally up so i'll do my best. Rudi are one of my faves from this scene and they get things started with a recording from a 1979 TV transmission of the youth show Something Else. They perform 'Who Are You' which sounds pretty tame compared with the live version of their cult hit 'Big Time' that follows, but they're a standout band for sure. They also featured in interview. Rudi are followed by two tracks by Protex? They sound in the poppier vein though not a lot to get excited about. The Ex-Producers are up next who are totally new to me in sound. They give us a live track 'New Wave Love 79' and a demo version of the 'The System is here'. They're a band with a sorta Rudi/Outcasts influence and pretty good too. Stage B are next out the trap and these are for me the highlifght of this collection and give us the haunting but raw 'Recall To Life' from their rare 1980 45, which sounds great. We also get a demo of 'The Viper (You are him)' from the same year thats equally as good! Splendid new find for me. Stage B have definitely got their own moody sound with original vocals and a nice riffy guitar sound. The Outcasts get a good intro from a TV show and they bring us live versions of 'Youre A Disease' and 'Self Conscientous Over You' from 1980. The Outcasts live don't sound half as good as in the studio, but we do get a short studio rehearsal clip which was good to hear just for the argument alone ha! Pretty Boy Floyd bring us their rare 'Spread The Word Around' from 1978 which sounds pretty poor in comparison to the rest of the bands, especially the crappy heavy metal styled vocals. The quality is improved by The Tearjerkers who close side one with a more scuzzy pop sound in this their 1979 demo of 'I'm Sorry' which owns a raw riffing guitar plus a very melodic English vocal delivery. Side Two kicks off with a Ruefrex interview about the dangers of punk in Belfast, which was an understatement. Ruefrex are the other great new find for the Wolfs Lair. This is a demo of 'Perfect Crime' from 1979 and shows em to be a powerful outfit with some great lyrics and a knack for some angry explosive punk. No strangers to anyone reading this I presume are Stiff Little Fingers, who give us 2 live tracks from 1980 and 1978 respectively. 'Gotta Get Away' was recorded in the bands hey day of big stages, big following and big atmosphere. 'Alternative Ulster' is from the time before expensive mobile recording desks and is of poor quality, but captures the venom. We then get an interview with the Outcasts, which talks about the Harp Bar and it's influence which is followed by an unfInished scuzzy demo guitar track from The Rays called 'Glamstar' which was neat to hear. More big guns from Derry follow next and it's the Undertones who give us a live 1978 glimpse of their future hit 'Here Comes The Summer' which again suffers from poor recordings but you can sniff a HIT even at this stage. The Doubt are more new boys and they give us a demo from 1979 called 'Fingers', it sounds ok but not on a par with some of the others on here. The Defects signal the arrival of the second wave of Northern Ireland punk with a 1980 demo of 'Guilty Conscience'. They adopt a more hardlined approach but on this track don't have the spark of their late 70's older brothers and sisters. WORTH A LISTEN! |
| VARIOUS 'Northern Xposure Vol 2' Tape 2002 Volume 2 of this epic voyage around the streets of Belfast and the late 70's early 80's Northern Ireland punk scene. Tape 2 takes us to The Androids. They're a sound little punk combo, who give us their rough round the edges 'Bondage In Belfast' demo from 1978, and showed em to have great potential in a snotty protest style. S.L.F. give us a live rendition of 'Barbed Wire love', one of punks classiest young love songs, set against the barricades from 1980. Followed by a very early '78 live version of their scorching protest number 'Suspect Device' say no more. Protex the Everly Brothers of the Northern Ireland punk scene reestablish themselves with a live take from New York of 'Don't Ring Me Up', which shows why they got a major label contract, but doesn't explain why Rudi failed? They then follow with an earlier demo of 'I cant Cope' which has a certain sheen. Terri Hooley (Good Vibrations) gives us a vivid insight into his first sighting of Rudi at the Pound, complete with a full blown account of the affray that followed. Also a perplexed Owen McFadden (Protex) cites Rudi as a major influence. We are then treated to 2 doses of Rudi who from these tapes, seem to be the band everyone cited as a major influence, and you can see why! Firstly we get in the flesh and live from a 1978 show 'Fill Your Balls (With Alcohol'' that gives us tunes and a Heartbreakers swagger. It's followed by Rudi's Brian Young summing up, how with no major help they were doomed. We then get a 1979 demo of 'Mission Impossible' which is very good indeed and just one more reason why the majors missed out big time. The Rays, that mysterious lone guitar slinger gives us another buzz saw riff to send us on our way to a couple of live tracks from the Outcasts circa 1980. Both potent, especially the rendition of 'The Cops Are Coming' followed by one of my favourites... 'Teenage Rebel'. Ex-Producers are up next with a 1980 demo called 'Behind The Door' that has a massive Rudi influence, particularly in the arrangements and vocal delivery. And with bands like this it's no bad thing coz they do it well. We then get a couple of young Belfast punks squabbling which is always a laugh. Victim who are probably one of the early original bands on here who were knocking around in '77 gives us a gritty live slice of 'Trademark City' from 78. This is a band when put in a studio, gives us a major overhaul in their sound as they run through 'The Teenage', which is an action packed stomper and reminds me of early Slaughter & The Dogs musically, but with a pop vocal, great stuff. The Undertones Derry's premier punk band, give us a live shot of 'Teenage Kicks' their teen angst anthem, plus a live TV blast of the hilarious 'My Perfect Cousin'. Pretty Boy Floyd who I didn't rate at all from the first tape are up next with a live track and a demo from '78. They still sound too slick for me, but they could easily have come from the 75/76 era Bowery during 'Rough Tough'. They then redeem themselves further with 'Sharon' that gives em a way more punkier edge. The quirky Stage B. are up next, and was one of the NX1 faves, but these two tracks 'Light/Hillside' and 'Numbers' was pretty pedestrian! P.45 are another new one for me, and they go along the well trodden path of Rudi, Ex-Producers etc. in style, but again do it with style on 'Teenage Love Song', although the strained vocals were pretty naff. Station Supperheaven close this collection, and are the tapes real Turkeys. Firstly there's a big jump to 1984, and the sound, style and delivery is typical Human League/ Frankie Goes To Hollywood who were dominating the charts at the time, if I remember correctly? Well whatever the case, this is just like that kinda crud and best to ignore, but I get a Sneaky feeling this must have some punk connection somewhere?, but for the life of me I can't think what? Like the last tape apart from this last track NX2 is well WORTH A LISTEN! |
| VARIOUS 'Kob Vs Mad Butcher' CD 2002 Got this FREE with the Nosebleed fanzine (see zine reviews for more info), and it's a very big 24 track selection in a smart cartoon sleeve, so a neat addition to the zine. Never heard much from the two labels that are behind this release. Kob Records are Italian and Mad Butcher Records are German. They premiere a massive Worldwide contingent of bands. So lets get going...Punkreas (Italy) give us a skanking track with a clean lead guitar. Analogs (Poland) builds up into a neat fuzzy anthem that sticks inside your head, dunno what they're singin about? We also have to endure quite a lotta ska tracks in-between the punkier outfits. The Skywalkers (Sweden) are more of the same. Derozer (Italy) have a noxious vocal, hate it with a vengeance. The Prowlers (Canada) have some big gorilla on vocals, boring Oi! Followed by the Boils (USA) who sound OK but nothing to write home about. Scrapy (Germany) are more average Oi!. Ska Wars (France) hold their own with a clean cut ska riffing stroll. Class Assassins (Canada) bring a bit of class to the proceedings. Brigatte Rozze (Italy) are full of energy, but spoilt by a croaky singer. Possible Suspect (Netherlands) remind me of the late 70's UK scene. Inerdzial (Italy) bring us the first female vocals, very sloppy. Lost Fastidios (Italy) and their bland skanking skinhead trip. Now here at last are this albums highlight and it comes from Italy and The Twinkles who are getting better by the minute. Forget the atrocious band name coz 'Twinkles Army' is a fucking great addictive anthem with simple riffs and a big chorus, magnificent!!!! We are bought back down to earth with Oversight (Italy) who give us stop/start hardcore (yawn). Heroes 'N' Zeros (Netherlands) are more skins singing about being skins. No Respect (Germany) have more horns than sense, lose em fast!!! Probably the best known band on here are skins Klasse Kriminalle (Italy) who come up close to the Twinkles with their reasonable outing. The Gerneratorz (Canada) supply the second girl vocal, and the second highlight of this comp. with their neat 'Dead End World'. Dynamo Ska (Germany) give us a Sports TV show kinda instrumental that turns into a an hilarious ode, novelty record of the comp. The Argies from suprise, suprise (Argentina) play average ska-tinged bollocks. Steam Pig (Ireland) give us an energetic 'Motorhead @ 5pm' which is OK but nothing special, featuring Boz from Nosebleed. And lastly the Stage Bottles (Germany) who were very good last time I heard em, supply us with an average sob story that sounds so corny but does have a good chorus. AVERAGE comp but good eye opener on some of the more obscure international bands. NOSEBLEED |
| SEX PISTOLS 'Sex Box' (Virgin) CD Summer 2002 Well what can I say? All those years of waiting for some of these tracks to appear outside an over priced, hard to find bootleg wasn't in vein! This is the definitive Sex Pistols collection and what 'Kiss This' should've been. 3 discs and practically an 80-page book with lyrics, rare pix, recording details and history wrapped up in the Union Jack flag, makes for a very attractive set indeed. But before we go ahead I just wanna say to all the kids who witnessed the band recently. The band you saw and this can of demons are a totally different beast. Let the real evidence speak for itself instead of playing shows that will leave the fans disappointed and the kids thinking ....was that it!!? 'Sex Box' is the real Pistols legacy, this is how they actually were, this is the real band that turned Priests into Exorcists, parents fraut with fear and sent furious lorry drivers to kick in their TV sets! Disc 1 (Studio Tracks & Early Demos) - Gives us 'Never Mind The Bollocks', the definitive 'punk rock' album that's still the best without exception. It's been remastered, so you've got the best ever sound I suspect. I could give you a whole review on that album alone, but I won't bore you with epic, landmark details. You've heard it, you got it, or you should have? We also get those B-side babies like the A & M - 'No Feelings' version and the classic unedited 'No Fun', which I bet Iggy would've been proud of. Plus on every disc there are hidden (why?) tracks at the end which seem a bit pointless to some, but I bet those pistolphile collectors out there will be licking their lips in delight, and of course not a booby in sight. Disc 2 (Demos & Rarities) - Which is for me personally my favourite disc of the 3. You can now hear a lot of these long lost artifacts in pristine audio, instead of some tape from a tape or crackly boot that my mate got from his mate, who's big brother lent it him back in '77. You know the score, these are historical punk documents that you read about, from a punk monster that was untamable. Rotten's hate 'n' loathing comes out on this disc big style as he cusses Matlock in the background. We also get to witness Steve Jones growing prowess from a trashy guitar sound into the monolith of Bollock proportions. You can still sense the snot in the air 25 years later, and realise that what was being put down on tape in some basement was gonna make a difference somewhere, sometime soon. The rejected demo version of 'Anarchy in The UK' alone was enough to get em hung, drawn and quatered from the nearest gibbet in '77. Even the most stringent bootleg collectors out there are in for a treat on this disc! Disc 3 (Live) - Is the disc I least play. Not coz it's shit or a space filler but coz I've never been a big fan of live recordings be it the Pistols or anyone else, apart from a few exceptions like 'Ramones - 'Alive' which springs to mind. Why the compilers never included the infamously, brilliant Huddersfield Christmas day show from 1977 is anyone's guess? But we do get a raw 'Screen on the Green' '76 set, plus more tracks from sporadic '76 appearances, but the best of the bunch being 'Belsen Was A Gas' from Dallas '78. This track really captures em in the most grotesque fashion. Despite the final disc not living up to the previous 2 blinders, this whole package is still an undeniable PUNK ROCK CLASSIC for newer and older punks to savour, and gives us the Real reason why we got into punk in the first place..... "We're Rejected!" Virgin Records - cost me £30 odd quid. |
| VARIOUS 'Helmet VS Anteaters Live All Over Germany' (Real George Records) CD 2002 This is a mammoth 35 track/4 band compilation of live recordings from all over Germany during the Deritas Sisters recent live reign amongst the Bosch. 'Helmet Vs Anteaters' (don't ask!) is a novel idea other bands oughta try out and gives the Santa Barbara's support acts some decent exposure. Now not many bands do that do they? Camel Boy get the proceedings off to a hot sweaty start, with some exuberant punk rock 'n' roll, but was spoiled by a large sounding, hairy, sweaty vocalist who don't really gel with the guitarist (who plays a blinder). Mr Goring especially with his tone deaf strangulated approach to making a noise, sounds like a laff and a good warm up act, but thank fuck they only get 4 tracks. Weekly Carouse are Germanic hardcore by the sounds of it, and are given ten tracks to coax us into submission. They also seem hell bent on creating a thrashy atmosphere which the crowd certainly appreciated. They have the makings of some good songs like on 'Sometimes It's On You' and it's duel vocal outtings which makes full use of the other blunderbuss backing vocalist which works well with decent rifferama.They do let themselves down with the catchy but ultra cringe worthy 'Thanks To All My Friends' which sounds really naff vocally. Now who the fuck writes songs like that if they really mean it maaaan?... c'mon. 'A place to Hide' has a good buildup with some SLF guitar work, but the lyrics and approach by the vocalist was hilarious. The funny 'Bleary Eyes' has a good juicy riff with more over the top vocals. I still find those broken English lyrics absolutely hysterical so if they had some poignant moment it was lost forever amongst the sniggering in the back rows. They end the set with definitely their best song 'Who Are You' which has the best guitar riff of their set to send it on his way, as it chugs into the BIG build up which despite not having a much called for chorus to take advantage of, still manages to drift towards epic proportions! The Cockroach Candies give us a welcome respite from all that testosterone flyng around the room, with some female fronted beefy punk rock. This band has the added novelty of being Mr Mark Gilman (Derita Sisters) wife's band. So I'd better watch my P's & Q's here unless I wanna feel the wrath of the Sisters. Well despite the charges of nepotism aimed at their inclusion the Cockroach Candies are in fact worthy of their place here with a more punkier sound. They gotta New York/Iggy feel on the 'Pussycat Incognito' opener which is definitely their best number. They then for some unknown reason blatantly use duel male/female vocals for the next couple of songs which until you hear his barf definitely ruins their chances of slaughtering their rivals. It also ruins the balance of their sound as the drunken sounding male guitarist slurs his vocals so much so it's like he's just sunk a gallon of schnapps dosed in Garlic. You stick to guitar pal and do us all a favour. 'Reality' is going back to their opening promise of songs in a more diverse manner and is a fast quirkily paced jump around. The last track 'Suck The Pogo Girls' is another fueled outing helped considerably by Mrs Gilman's clear delivery. Maybe they could get a more tighter sound but they show promise. The Derita Sisters sponsers and main act prove why they're the top band on this comp. and they give us 13 numbers of their 'best of' set from their extensive back catalogue. Do yourself and me a favour and check out the '1 2 Fuck You' review on this page for the full rundown. AVERAGE! DERITA SISTERS |
| KISMET H.C. 'Equality' CD-EP 2002 Mr Defekt, HC Kismet's manic spiky drummer thrust this CDR onto me at a gig in Brum recently. I gotta admit from the opening salvo this 5-tracker is a lot more hardcore and intense than my previous encounters with the band. These fuckers from Stoke are keeping the power of Discharge firmly tapped within their Staffordshire locale, as they excellerate towards the speed barrier. 'Mass Hysteria' kicks off with barely a mid-paced rocker of a riff, before they drag us screaming into metal territory. However Miss Defekt, the pink haired medussa kicks in with her dominant protest stylised vocals. This is angry, fast as fuck punk that's driven along by Defekt's manic drumming. This geezer is the most energetic drummer I've heard since young Rat Scabies sat on the throne back in '76. He literally attacks the kit and keeps this bands momentum at full pelt for the duration!!! This CD don't relent one iota and it's shows exactly what this band is capable of in the studio. Their live sound ain't always the best introduction, so If you get the chance, check em out on record first before deciding their fate. Even the duel vocals which I ain't too keen on work well on here, they're dispatched with just enough male presence for it to work well. Miss Defekt certainly steals the show in the vocal department, particularly on 'Earth', as her more melodic style is let loose and is definitely this bands best quality, along side the duracell drummerboy. Didn't have a copy of the lyrics, but they sound angry as fuck. This ain't a band who write happy little snatches of pop I can assure you of that. '20th Century Close' is spoiled badly by the male screamer in the band, it sounds a bit too predicable after the first two tracks, until they slow things down slightly with a sort of skanking workout that screams a transistorized "Fuck Babylon." It then feedback's into obscurity. Next up is 'Less Than Men' which has some great big beefy riffing going on, with some smart squealing guitars leads to accompany the screams. But those duel screams are lost on this one. If they wanna send a message out this aint the way to go, as they spit out a constant stream of "the end is nigh" and god knows what else??? Last track is all about domestic violence called inevitably 'Violence II'. And this is their other standout track with it's Anarcho intro and vibe. The clever tempo changes work well as the love struck couple curse each other out, aided and abetted by simple but sinister Discharge era riffs. We are left battered 'n' bruised as Miss Defekt screams "I'm not just here as a fuck machine" ....Welcome to a domestic nightmare! If you like yer punk fast and intense with plenty of energy then these are definitely for you. WORTH A LISTEN! KISMET H.C. |
| VARIOUS 'Northern Xposure Vol 3' Tape 2002 Final tape in this historic Northern Ireland series, and we are treated to an account of the Clash's publicity stunt visit to the streets of Belfast, which the locals sussed when the gig was pulled, finally ensuing aggro and their car getting pelted with cans. And hotly in pursuit are the strangely named Electromotive Force, who give us two snotty nosed demo blasts from 1980. 'BBC/UTV' is a fast basic piss-off to the media, they then change gear and bring us the less frantic but far superior 'College Boy' with a great riff and a really fresh sound. The Idiots keep the momentum firing, with an ultra addictive trashy workout called 'Parents' from 1978, plus a truly live rendition of 'Teenager In Love', complete with dropout sound and an imaginative arrangement. More live in France Outcasts follow, doing 'Mania' which is rough on the ear, but we do get a raw 'Machine Gun' demo from 1981 as recompense. I much prefer the Outcasts in the studio, it's where they excel! Some Harp Punks make some very valid points, before leading us into The Rays once more, who make their customary unfinished demo appearance with a particular fuzzy 'Nasty' and 'Rock 'n' Roll Is Dead' double session. Again no vocals or bass or drums, just guitar, which reminds me of my puerile attempts at playing in my bedroom circa '79 when I first bought a guitar out the catalogue tee hee. The impressive Stage B. continue with two more moody riffing demos from 1980. The murderous 'Lizzy Borden' taking the biscuit and the eery 'Self Portrait' continue to make them a big favourite. Rhesus Negative make their bloody presence felt with 'Lies In Vein' live from 1979, which has a certain Stage B. feel in style. Also making a first on this collection is another band who got some acclaim in the UK press, and that's the Moondogs. They share with us a demo of 'You Said' which is more pop punk with tunes, followed by another interview with a Moondog. The Parasites sound like they came from a Crass Bullshit Detector compilation, very basic Anarcho punk by numbers, but ahead of their time considering it's recorded in 1978. Terri Hooley & The Terrors makes a rare appearance on record, with his hard to find single 'Laugh At Me' from 1979. And you know what, it sounds fuckin good too! Rudi show up once more with a 1980 demo of 'Murder On The 13th Floor' which is another standout track with it's sharp jagged guitar riffs. They then treat us to a live 'Ripped In Two' from 1978, which only suffers from the live situation. Continuing on the live front we get the Undertones from 1978 and 'Under Cover Lovers', followed by a blitzing version of Johnny Mopeds 'Incendiary Device'. There's a great Undertones interview segment where the band talk about aggro and fashion. SLF benefit from mobile recording desk technology, with 1980 versions of 'At The Edge' and the brilliant 'Wasted Life'. Protex are caught live in NYC circa 1980 with 'Place In Your Heart'. And it sounds weak in comparison to bands of better quality, that's followed by a '79 Demo of 'Popularity' which is better but continues in the same vein. The Zipps bring this trilogy to a close, with a rare B-side of 'Don't Tell The Detectives' and was worth the wait, coz it's very good pop tinged number. As a closing tribute we move up to the 90's and The Adventures (ex-Starjets) doing a cover of 'Teenage Kicks' on N.I.TV, which sounded tame compared to the original, while Therapy supply 'Alternative Ulster' and 'Big Time' also from NITV and both never coming close to the originals power, but done with respect. As the tape states THIS IS HISTORY so.... WORTH A LISTEN! |
