Earlier this year Vanilla Pod sadly announced that they were calling it a day after twenty-three years together as a band. But before they leave us, they've been playing goodbye shows all over the country with the London show being on the 2nd of November at the New Cross Inn. The band have also released a final EP as a surprise. Titled Goodbye My Love, it's released by a big handful of DIY punk labels including Horn & Hoof Records, Aaahh!!! Real Records, Brassneck Records, TNSrecords, Make-That-A-Take Records, Disconnect Disconnect Records and Speedowax. Vanilla Pod are one of the most beloved UK punk bands of all time and I was certain this farewell EP would see the band go out with a bang.
Goodbye My Love begins with Disgracer. It's not long until we are greeted with Rob Bunting's familiar vocal as he leads us through a heavy hitting, up tempo, melodic skate punk track. It might be because he's been in the game so long now but Rob has one of the most distinctive voices in the UK scene. If a Pod track comes on that you don't know, you will instantly know who you're listening to. Of course the song hits its high point during the chorus as the band belt out "I know that I'm a waster, And I know that I could be better, I know that I'm a waster, fuck you me." Grey begins with a rumbly bassline from Matt Clarke before he's joined by the rest of the band for another hard hitting track about the problems of alcohol abuse. This may be the final Vanilla Pod release but they're certainly not taking it easy on the subject matter. I've often felt that Vanilla Pod are a very underrated band lyrically. On Grey they are at their very best, extremely relatable and perhaps even cathartic on this number.
The third track on Goodbye My Love is titled Waster. This is classic Vanilla Pod. From the beginning Rob is straining his voice as he belts out the opening verse and quickly moves on to a chorus that you'll be singing along to during your first listen of the song. I enjoyed how the song builds throughout and finishes with some fantastic harmonies. If a song has a harmony, it's always a hit with me. Finally we have G.O.B. As a final Vanilla Pod song, this had to be great. It had to cement one of the best legacies in UK punk rock. Of course the Pod boys smashed this song. It feels like a celebration of the long career of the band. The highlight is of course the duelling vocals that make up a big portion of the track – it gives so much energy to the track, it's so infectious. The song actually has quite a sombre feel at its finale as Rob sings "It's over now, I don't want it to be."
When I first saw that Vanilla Pod were releasing one final EP I was a little worried that it might be a bit half-arsed because it was their last hurrah. I needn't have worried as Goodbye My Love is a superb piece of work. All four songs could fit nicely into their entire discography. This is such a fitting end for one of the hardest working, dedicated and, most importantly, finest band our UK scene has ever produced. When many of their contemporaries from the late 90s/early 2000s scene called it a day, Vanilla Pod kept on going and helped to build the next generation's scene. Vanilla Pod are legends and will be so sorely missed. They're not here for much longer, so let's make sure we all see them one last time to give them the send off they richly deserve.
Stream and download Goodbye My Love here: https://hornhoofrecords.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-my-love
Like Vanilla Pod here: https://www.facebook.com/vanillapodrock/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
No comments:
Post a Comment