The Hook-Line Riot feature members of a band that I absolutely
love named 4ft Fingers. When bands form featuring members of another band it’s
always difficult not to compare the two. That’s something that I am going to
try my very best to do here as The Hook Line Riot are a great band regardless
of what band they are also known for.
Sirens, which was released in November 2013 opens with the
track Calling All Cobras. This song really cements the sound of The Hook-Line
Riot, punk rock for the thinking man. Restrained, heartfelt songs which will
also get a crowd singing very loudly. Calling All Cobras is about getting all
of your friends together to look after a friend who is in a bad way. The lyrics
“we will live, we will fight, we will sing into the night, all my brother
cobras it’ll be alright” are ones that I really like. It’s a reminder of whenever
life gets you down you’ve always got your friends to get you back up again.
Take No Time is another uplifting song. It’s a song
encouraging you to go after what you want no matter how far away it seems, you
will get there if you work hard enough for it. This is the shortest song on the
album and is quite catchy. The use of the Hammond organ gives the song another
layer and really helps create the fantastic sound The Hook-Line Riot have
created.
Track three is called Chances and is about trying to help
someone who repeatedly lets you down. The maturity of the band shines through
on this one, I’m guessing like most of us they have wondered down the wrong
path once or twice in their lives and have had or even needed someone to give
them another chance.
She Will Never Know is a break up song (it says so in the
opening line, made my reviewing much easier). It’s one of the faster songs on
the album and features some fantastic drumming, really carries the verse along
nicely. Towards the end of the song there is a nice punk rock “let’s go!” before
a fantastic guitar solo.
Black Eyes and Broken Hearts starts off with lead singer Rob
in sombre mood as he sings the opening verse of the song. As you may guess it’s
a song about the very serious issue of relationship abuse and the view of an
outsider looking in. Some of the lyrics in this song really hit the nail on the
head and are quite emotional “do you remember when your life was free of fear
and your nights didn’t end in tears” and “it just breaks my heart to see you
cry, wonder why you choose to live a lie.”
This emotional song is followed by Fat Cats & Underdogs.
This is a song about having to work for the big corporate giants and being
treated badly, something many of us will relate to. It’s about working your
socks off and still having no money to show for it. The Hook-Line Riot
encourage you to stand together with your work mates and fight against the “Fat
Cats.”
The second half of Sirens starts with a song named I Can Say
and is a love song. The grumpy single punk rocker in me would normally complain
that it’s too soppy but it’s hard not to smile when listening to the lyrics.
They are ridiculously heart-warming, even the hardest of punks would get a but mushy
after hearing it. Who doesn’t want “that funny feeling that carries on and on
all night until the break of dawn?”
Up next is title track Sirens and is a story of the things
you will do when you’re in love. It tells the tale of a couple of who decide to
rob a bank so they can live together comfortably. It starts of slowly, setting
the scene for what’s about to happen before kicking into a chorus that will get
stuck in your head instantly. Very interesting version of the love song.
Declaration Of My Disconnection was an instant favourite of
mine. This is a protest song against over use of social media. Rob sings about
people struggling to interact with people face to face as people spend too much
time doing it behind a screen. There is a good instrumental when the organ
shines again before a building break down of “I wanna leave it all behind and
analog has always done me fine, I wanna leave it all behind I wanna talk face
to face this time” before a rallying cry of a chorus “this is my declaration of
my disconnection.”
The next song, Rely On Me is about fatherhood. Not being a
father myself I can only guess on how it feels. I think The Hook-Line Riot
probably get it spot on in the chorus “I couldn’t ask for anything from a boy,
I’m glad to call my son, I’ll watch you grow into a man, my son I love you and
I’ll always watch after you, you made me into the man I am today.” Really
mature song writing here and I’m positive all the dads will relate.
The penultimate song is Waiting Room Exit. It’s really picks
the pace up after the slow burning nature of Rely On Me. The bouncy structure
of the lyrics brings the song to life and really catches your attention. The
song itself is another about a very serious subject, the issue of deciding
whether or not to end someone’s life. It’s about the different emotions people
feel whilst at somebody’s death bad whether its ending someone’s pain or saying
final goodbyes. For such a serious and sombre song lyrically it’s also the
poppiest song on Sirens.
The album finishes off with Turn It Up! It’s about missing
the old days and how music can take you back to some great moments. Everyone
can think back to a great time in their lives and relate it to a song, whether it’s
a gig, a wedding or even just a road trip where you and your mates belt out a
version of Teenage Dirtbag.
Sirens is one hell of an album and The Hook-Line Riot are
one hell of a band. I love 4ft Fingers and now i also love The Hook-Line Riot!
Stream and buy Sirens here: https://thehooklineriot.bandcamp.com/
The Hook-Line Riot have also created t-shirts in memory of the late, great Tony Sly. All profits are going to the Tony Sly Kids Foundation charity. Get one here: http://www.thehooklineriot.bigcartel.com/
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