Filthy Militia are a five piece ska punk band from North London. The band formed in 2016 and are influenced by bands such as The Clash, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Jimmy Cliff and Gogol Bordello. On February 3rd they release their debut four song EP named Innocent Until Proven Filthy. I was lucky enough to get an early preview. Here's what I thought.
The opening song on the EP is named Up In Smoke. I immediately fell in love with the horn intro, it welcomes you into the EP brilliantly and in an instant I find myself wanting to have a good skank. The horns are a big feature throughout the song, it's nice to hear that. I've found that often ska bands tend to just use the horn section to supply fills rather than being allowed to take the lead on the song. There is also a big use of gang vocals on the song - my favourite thing. It just gives such a great feeling of inclusiveness that I enjoy in my punk rock music. Following on from Up In Smoke is the next song Storm Warning. Filthy Militia's gypsy punk influences come into play on this song. It starts out very ska orientated with the horns again welcoming you into the song along with some lovely ska guitar. Eventually things slow down and we soon find ourselves dancing to rambunctious gypsy punk. The melody on Storm Warning is great, it had me dancing in my seat whilst typing out the review.
The third song on Innocent Until Proven Filthy is titled Be Real. Be Real is a real gem of a song. It's slower paced than the previous two songs but doesn't lose any of that infectious bounce that has you dancing even if you don't want to. Musically it is oh so simple but that is where its brilliance lies. The song doesn't try and overextend itself and there lies its charm. The song is about trying your best to be yourself despite feeling like you are being pushed to the edge. The final song is named Little Sister. This is really a song of two parts. Starting out like more of a reggae song before gradually switching to a fast paced ska punk song for its finale. You will again be dancing from start to finish. Out of the four songs on the EP I think lead singer Ben's voice is at its best on Little Sister. It works really well with the reggae vibes that the song produces and the inclusion of gang vocals for the "whoa-oh" sections will work a treat in a live setting.
I often complain that I don't get sent enough ska to review so when this arrived in my inbox I was excited. It did not disappoint. The ska scene in the UK is undergoing a bit of a resurgence again at the moment and I think that Filthy Militia are among the best that I've heard. Check them out and expect to see them playing at the New Cross Inn soon.
Stream and download Innocent Until Proven Filthy here: https://filthymilitia.bandcamp.com/releases
Like Filthy Militia here: https://www.facebook.com/filthymilitia/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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