Top Tens: Colin's Top Ten Albums Not Pressed On Vinyl

A few weeks ago you might have seen a post on this website where our buddy Chris, who is also an Instagram celebrity known as Vinyl.Systems, told us ten albums he would love to see pressed onto vinyl. This, of course, got me thinking about ten album that I wish were pressed on the wax so this is what you’re about to read.

Like Chris, I figured I could give a brief history of my vinyl collecting story. I’ve always been a big collector of things. When I get an idea in my head, I often get quite locked on and obsessed by it. I used to have a ridiculous collection of DVDs. At one point my tiny box room at my mum’s looked like a tiny Blockbusters. When I started to get into punk music in the early 2000s, I started to buy CDs. At the time vinyl records weren’t anywhere near as popular as they are now and neither of the two music shops in Colchester even stocked vinyl records. After about ten years of seemingly buying every single CD I could get my hands on I amassed a collection of well over 1000. It was a bit silly, particularly because I barely listened to them. It must have been around 2014, when I noticed that more people were beginning to buy vinyl again. Initially I fought against the urge to get involved because I knew what I was like when it came to starting collections. Other than knowing how obsessed I get when starting collections, I was also aware of the space issues, the fact I didn’t own a turntable and I didn’t want to re-buy a load of music once again. Then I met my partner, Emma. She had started her own record collection. I have a distinct memory of the first time I visited her flat and checking out her record collection. I remember loving the extra detail in the artwork and the whole process of putting a record on. It felt like so much more of an event than playing a CD or digital music. This was probably the moment where my resolve and resistance about starting my own collection failed. And, good gosh, it failed in a big way. My collection grew very quickly and it continues to grow at a rate that is probably not smart. At the time of writing this, mine and Emma’s combined collection has 660 items. I’m sure by the time you’re reading this, it will have grown even more though.

This year I set myself a bit of a new year’s resolution/challenge to listen to our collection more and to post a different record each day on my Instagram page. The posting on Instagram is basically a way to hold myself accountable to keep doing it. If you want to follow my progress my Instagram handle is ColinsPRW. While doing this challenge, I’ve really fallen in love with listening to complete albums again and it’s made me listen to some albums that I’ve not listened to in years. I’ve also realised that most albums have a different memory attached to them. I’ll get a record off the shelf, usually picked by using the Discogs app’s shaky shaky feature, and I’ll instantly remember where I brought it, whether it’s from a gig, a record shop, a fair, on a holiday, something I took a punt on – all sorts of great memories. It’s nice to see Colin’s Punk Rock World thanked in the sleeve notes from some of the DIY bands we’ve helped and made friends with. Basically, I really like vinyl records and I love adding to our collection. I also love ordering them properly on the shelves – alphabetically by band and then chronologically in case you were wondering. Anyway, here are ten that I’d love to see pressed so I can add them to my collection.

Disclaimer: These are ten albums that aren’t pressed on vinyl as far as I’m aware. If they are, please let me know so I can track them down and add to the collection.

Disclaimer number two: I could have easily picked ten albums from the late 90s early 2000s era of UK punk rock as not a lot of those albums got vinyl releases. For the sake of variety, I decided to just stick with three from that era though. I’d also love to see King Prawn – Got The Thirst get a vinyl pressing, though. And the entire Captain Everything! discography.

Aerial Salad – Roach

Aerial Salad’s debut album Roach put the Manchester punks on a lot of people’s radars before Dirt Mall began to give them more attention from the entire alternative scene. With Dirt Mall and Salad’s more recent singles, they seem to be stepping further and further away from the Roach sound so I don’t know how likely a vinyl run of the album will ever be. I’d love to see it though.

Allister – Dead Ends And Girlfriends

Allister’s second album, Last Stop Suburbia, is one of my favourite pop punk albums of all time. I’m also very keen on their debut Dead Ends And Girlfriends which came out in 1999. Sixteen tracks in just thirty-two minutes says a lot of what to expect from the album. It’s certainly not as polished as Last Stop Suburbia but it’s got hooks for days as well as a wonderful cover of I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys. Some of the songs from the album got a vinyl release thanks to a best of vinyl that came out a couple of years ago but I’d much prefer the whole album with the original versions.

Chewing On Tinfoil – Get Rich Or Try Dyin’

In the past few years Chewie have released their most recent album and EP, Marrowbone Lane and Moving The Goalposts, on vinyl so here’s hoping they also find the time and – probably more importantly, money – to release their debut, Get Rich Or Try Dyin’, as well. Over the years Chewie have moved away from the ska sounds on this album. I believe the band have been working on a new album so I can’t expect getting this released on wax is anywhere near the top of their band “to do” list, but hopefully one day it’ll happen.

The Exhausts – Leave The Suburbs!

After we published Chris’ list, Tommy from The Exhausts said he would have loved to get Leave The Suburbs released on vinyl. I agreed wholeheartedly. That’s why I put it on this list. The Exhausts were a three piece based in London who played scrappy pop punk. In 2015 they released their final album Leave The Suburbs! and I absolutely fell in love with it. Ten of the catchiest pop tracks about the struggles of being in your twenties you’re ever likely to hear with some superb dual vocals.

Fletcher – My Revenge

London’s Fletcher are the first of my three picks from the early 2000s UK punk rock scene. The band only released one full length album while they were together but what an album – it was amazing. Listening back to My Revenge today, almost twenty years after it was originally released, I can’t help but think it was ten years before it’s time. It features twelve brilliantly crafted melodic gruff punk bangers that if they were released in 2013 would have been huge in the scene.

Jesse James – Punk Soul Brothers

I was absolutely obsessed with Jesse James back in the day. As one of my favourite bands when I first discovered the world of UK punk rock, I listened to Punk Soul Brothers so much that I had to buy a second copy. It was one of those albums where I could sing along to every word and probably still could now twenty years later. The album brilliantly combines punk rock and soul music with a great brass section and ridiculously catchy tunes that will find a home in your brain for absolutely ages. I could have happily picked all three Jesse James albums for this list but chose Punk Soul Brothers because it was the first I heard.

The Johnstones – Word Is Bond

In my essay of an introduction I talked about how music is like a time stamp for memories. You can remember what you were listening to at certain points in your life. This is why The Johnstones – Word Is Bond has a place on this list. The Johnstones were a ska punk band from Canada who released three albums through the brilliant Stomp Records. In the summer of 2010, I broke my leg which meant I spent a lot of time on my own at home. I listened to The Johnstones so much during that summer, I can’t help but feel as if the upbeat, fun, not taking themselves at all seriously nature of their music really helped me not get depressed. I’ll fully admit that a lot of the content on the album probably wouldn’t go down well in the more PC world that we live in today but these songs helped me a lot and I’d love to own it on vinyl.

Just Say Nay – Maximum Effort

Maximum Effort by Just Say Nay is one of the best ska punk albums released anywhere in the world during the past ten years and it’s an absolute catastrophe that it never got released on vinyl. The South London/Kent nine piece released this damn near perfect album in 2019 and it should’ve catapulted them to the very top of the ska punk tree. Combining all things ska, punk, reggae and gypsy-punk and getting stunning results, Maximum Effort is a lot of fun but it’s also full of thoughtful, poignant and smart lyrics and some top notch musicianship. It also features the epic Kuromouri – an eight minute long masterpiece that needs to be heard by everyone. Unfortunately the band decided to call it a day in November of 2021 so the likelihood of a Maximum Effort vinyl release is oh so low but I can dream.

[Spunge] – Too Little Too Late

Of course [Spunge] would be on this list. I’ve spoken about how [Spunge] are my gateway band to punk rock so many times you’re probably bored of it now. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like our vinyl collection is complete until I get the album that started it all for me on vinyl though. The Story So Far was the first [Spunge] album I ever heard and bought and I still absolutely adore it. It’s another where I could easily recite every single word even twenty years later. I do happen to have a Jump On Demand 7” single that the band released in the build up to the album that I found whilst crate digging on holiday in Japan but I NEED Too Little Too late too. Also this year is the album’s twenty year anniversary, so how about an album show at some point too?

Tens – Tens

I would guess that for regular readers of CPRW, Tens are the band you are least familiar with. They are a three piece punk rock band from Chicago. They released their only full length in 2016. I was fortunate enough to be sent an early copy thanks to the fact I do CPRW. Start a music blog folks – sometimes people send you really cool things to listen to! I really enjoyed the album. I’m a big fan of the melodic punk, gruff vocals, a big sing-along style and Tens (also the album title) is packed with it. I was also lucky enough to be able to attend The Fest in Gainesville in 2016 – Tens played and it was one of my favourite sets of the entire weekend. This album would sound great on vinyl.

There’s my list. If you enjoyed it let us know and maybe another member of the team could write their own list and we could make this a series. And, as I said previously, if one of the albums mentioned has been released without me knowing, please send me links so I can buy it!

This top ten was written by Colin Clark.

Gig Review: Till The Fest Day One 8/10/21

As rewarding as being a DIY punk gig promoter can be it can often be thankless, frustrating and hit you very heavily financially. Speaking to many friends who have promoted gigs over the years, they have often become jaded and disillusioned and leave promoting gigs to the other people. To reach twenty years in the game is an incredible achievement and that’s something the legend that is Ollie Ward of Till The Wheels recently achieved. To celebrate the big milestone, Ollie decided to put on a three day festival in New Cross named Till The Fest.

Ollie originally announced Till The Fest whilst the UK was in the midst of a lockdown and, if I’m 100% honest with you, I was very sceptical on whether or not the weekend would be allowed to go ahead. As time went on and restrictions gradually began to ease, my confidence in the festival actually happening began to grow. I quickly bought weekend tickets and even began to get very excited. As the months went on, more and more amazing bands continued to get added to the line-up and it soon became a three day, three venue, over 50 bands behemoth of an event.

Till The Fest would be taking place at the New Cross Inn, The Amersham Arms and Matchstick Piehouse. There would also be a record fair happening upstairs in the New Cross House pub and a five aside tournament happening at Fordham Park. There was absolutely loads going on! It was also a wonderful opportunity to have a punk rock family reunion, with friends from all over the UK making the pilgrimage to South East London. As the weekend grew closer, I was just as excited to see people I hadn’t seen for nearly two years as I was to see some of my favourite bands. It was due to be an emotional weekend.

We arrived in New Cross, dropped our bags off at our Air BnB, freshened up and made our way to Matchstick Piehouse. This was our first time going to Matchstick Piehouse and Emma and I were very grateful to bump in to our pal Tommy of BaldHead And The Dreads to help show us the way. We arrived at the Piehouse and immediately bumped into loads of friends and it was a bloody lovely feeling. Music hadn’t even begun yet and we were already having a magical time.

After saying lots of hellos to lots of people, we needed to get some food before the bands began. We met up with CPRW member Lara and her husband Nicky, who had travelled from South Wales for Till The Fest, and took them to our favourite falafel spot, Beirut. Unfortunately I got us lost on the way there, shout out to Tommy for helping out again, so we sadly missed SKIV. I’m sure they put on a 10/10 show to open up the festival at The Amersham Arms.

Thankfully we did get to New Cross Inn in plenty of time to see the band tasked with opening the festival there, our lovely friends Goodbye Blue Monday. Despite it not even being 7pm, a very decent sized crowd had turned out for the Scottish boys and were treated to another superb GBM set. Graham noted that they would be opening with a brand new song for their first show back since the lockdown. This new song, along with the couple of others, sound amazing and has me even more excited for their debut album, whenever they’re able to get it recorded and released out in to the world. Of course there was also big sing-alongs for favourites such as Misery-Punk Ruined My Life, Love Is A Noose For Two, Trigger Alert, Take Your Pills and Exile (which was my first time seeing it live since it was released). Seeing Goodbye Blue Monday always fills me with the warm, fuzzy feeling and leaves me with a sore throat. What a band. What a time.

We didn’t get a chance to hang around NXI and have a proper chat with the GBM boys as another of our lovely friends, Katie MF was taking to the stage at Amersham as soon as they finished. After a power walk for the five minute journey between the venues, we made it with a couple of minutes to spare. This was somehow our very first time in the Amersham Arms and I was immediately impressed with it as a venue. There was a nice wide stage, with no pesky pillar blocking the view of the stage. In fact, you could probably get a decent view of the stage from anywhere in the venue. Before the band started, Katie announced that the band hadn’t been in a room together since March 2020 so hadn’t practiced their set. If Katie hadn’t have said that I don’t anyone would’ve noticed as they played a cracking set. Playing the more uptempo tracks in the band’s catalogue, really tailoring for the punk crowd, for me it was another set of sing-alongs. I’ve said many times over the years that Katie has this magnetic quality on stage that cannot be ignored. Backed by one of the best rhythm sections in punk rock, this was another superb performance. Just like GBM before them, Katie MF have a load of high quality songs that are yet to be recorded and I can’t wait for them to get released.

Unfortunately we had to leave Katie’s set one song early as Just Say Nay were starting back at NXI. I always say that it’s a sign of a good festival to have clashes but, for me at least, this was a stinger. We arrived back at very full looking NXI to see Just Say Nay already well into their set. Sadly during lockdown trombone playing goblin king Mikey T decided to leave the band, so on this occasion they were only playing as a seven piece. Yes, seven members is the fewest amount of people I’ve ever seen on stage when I’ve watched Just Say Nay perform. This did allow lead singer Jak to move around the stage more freely and he did a magnificent job in getting the crowd amped up. Not that Just Say Nay need to do much to get a NXI crowd warmed up as they are much loved at the venue. We arrived back at the venue as the band were playing Tempted from their debut EP Shit Out Of Luck before moving on to crowd favourite, With A Twist Of Lemon. With A Twist Of Lemon has a great ending that gets the entire crowd chanting along with the band. It always goes down well but on this occasion it went down so well that the crowd did their own extra verse of the song. They probably would’ve done another one if the band hadn’t have moved on to the next song, Pass Me A Cloud. The band finished with Low Blow which earned another huge sing-along. Just Say Nay are one of the best live bands in the country – make sure you see them as soon as you have the chance!

We hung around at New Cross for the next band, The JB Conspiracy. We’d recently been able to see JB in Bristol for Fishstock but that didn’t dampen any excitement for seeing them again. I said in my review of Fishstock that JB get better each and every time I see them live and this trend continued once again. Playing a mix of old favourites and new ones from 2021’s Beginnings, this was the band’s second London gig since Beginnings’ release and it was clear that the crowd had spent plenty of time with it. It’s always tricky for a band releasing new music so long after they released two absolute beloved albums. Will people care about the new stuff or do they just want the classics? It really says a lot about just how good Beginnings is as songs like The Long Road To Zurich (one of my favourite songs of 2021) and Guiding Lights got just as good receptions as The Escape or This Machine did. It’s always nice to see a band on stage, who’ve been doing this for so many years, still clearly having the time of their lives. Between songs there was always a big smile on lead singer Lank’s face. I was sad that the band only had a forty minute set because I would have happily watched, sung and danced along with the band for much longer. Every time I see JB they prove that they are one of the very best ska punk bands that the UK has ever produced.

 

The choice of the night’s headliner through up another tricky decision on who to see. It was between The Bar Stool Preachers and The Filaments. Both are phenomenal live acts so I shouldn’t complain about having to pick between two fantastic bands. We decided to go with The Filaments at Amersham Arms. The choice was made because BSP were the last band we saw before lockdown started and we hadn’t seen The Filaments for years. Plus I always love seeing Pook bounce around on stage and he was playing in The Filaments. We made the walk back to Amersham with our new friend and NXI legend Fred The Punk. If you’ve not made friends with him yet, this is something I recommend you do. He’s a lovely man who really understands what this whole punk community thing is about. Amersham was already pretty full when we reached the venue but we managed to find a good spot from the side of the stage. The Filaments were a little late to take to the stage, I didn’t mind this though as it gave us time to have a little chat with pals. When the band did get on the stage they quickly began to tear the roof off the venue. The set was mostly comprised of the band’s more ferocious songs which got the mosh pit going hard. Unfortunately there was one person in the pit who was going too hard and ended up causing a fight. This lead to the band stopping a song midway through and jumping in to the crowd to sort it out. I believe that the instigator of the fight was then removed from the venue. It’s a shame that after almost two years of not having nice things like Till The Fest there was an idiot who didn’t know how to behave but big love and respect to the band and venue for making sure everyone was safe and the show could continue. I feel like this incident could’ve put a lot of bands off their stride but not The Filaments who stormed through the rest of their set. The highlight for me was a rare run out of Trevor, a song I’ve not seen the band play for years and it remains my favourite Filaments song. This was a great way to finish off night one of Till The Fest.

Night one of Till The Fest had been a massive success and all around us there were big smiles everywhere. There were positive vibes all around and there was much excitement for what was to come for the rest of the weekend.

This review was written by Colin Clark. Photos by Colin and Emma Prew.

Gig Review: MPF Presents Bands In A Brewery at Signature Brew, London (by Dan#2)

When I saw the line-up for "MPF Presents: Bands In A Brewery" had two of my current favourite UK bands in Just Say Nay and Drones, it was a no brainer. I had to go to this warm-up event for the fest! When I got there, I quickly learnt that some of the MPF crew had been at the Signature Brewery for the whole day, brewing the exclusive MPF 2020 signature beer. Furthermore, they had tied it in with International Women's Day, by inviting some of the women playing at MPF, along with the female members of the MPF crew, to be the ones to brew this year's signature beer for the festival. This in itself is very cool, but the afternoon's booze-up also kicked off the show with a nice, friendly, warm vibe, despite being in a freezing cold warehouse!

I walked into the main room in the warehouse and was instantly impressed by the massive brewing equipment, which made for an awesome backdrop to the night. As I entered, Chloe Glover was just beginning her set of lovely acoustic songs in a folky punk style. It was really cool to hear Chloe's powerful voice filling the room and bouncing off the walls, making the most of the echo. I found myself closing my eyes and soaking in the complex sound above the noise of people chatting (as pretentious as that sounds). Chloe's songs struck a real emotional chord with me, and I found myself smiling at her lyrics about being a disappointment to your parents – sounds as though we're in the same boat. She has an EP called "Dark Matter" coming out on 20th March which I'm now really looking forward to picking up!

I was stoked to see Follow Your Dreams once again deliver on their brand of ferocious hardcore. The room's aforementioned echo had a really interesting effect during this set, adding to the intensity of the drums in the hard-hitting sections, but also adding to the moments of respite as the echo of the guitars faded. They played some great new songs from their upcoming album which was really cool, but the definite highlight was them treating a little girl (vocalist Kaz’s niece) on her birthday – first, they had her announce them after their first song, then treated her to some crowdsurfing later on in the set. It was magical to see some wholesome hardcore with Follow Your Dreams living up to their name by helping a little girl follow hers!

The next act was Katie MF, and this was actually my second time seeing her perform this week. Despite the band’s drummer, Tobias, playing the entire set one-armed due to an injured shoulder, the whole set still sounded great: Katie's vocals filled the room beautifully, giving the songs a nice extra kick. One of Katie's new songs, "Clusterfuck", really stuck out from the rest. After the set, I caught up with Colin and we discussed Katie's knack for writing great political songs you can get behind – not to mention her kick-ass-Against-Me-rock-and-roll vibes.

I was really worried about how Just Say Nay would sound, being a ska band in such a big room with their staggering 8 members. It really worked for them, though – the room's acoustics really drew out the brass and flute. I love watching these guys perform every time: their chemistry on stage, their songs and the energy they give out is just the best – they're always a pleasure to watch. My personal highlight of their set was getting to hear the new single "You Embarrassed Me in Front of Jamie Lenman" live, it was a lovely addition to the set against some of the old songs like "Pass Me A Cloud".

Drones don't play that frequently, but every time I see them perform I find myself wishing I get to see them more often. Their political, blood-pumping anthems make them one hell-raiser of a headline band. Their new material sent shivers down my spine, and I was super happy to finally get to hear "Graves" (my favourite Drones song!) along with "Shells Fall, Pins Pulled" which sounded absolutely fantastic with Lois singing it. Midway through the set, Lois was handed two crates of beer from Signature Brew to give out to the crowd. The beer was quickly placed into the crowd and was immediately circle-pitted, then danced around like an idol! Drones also sparked a very drunken human pyramid which ended up collapsing in on itself in a cascade of laughs! They closed with "Inferno" which was the perfect end to a great night.

Seeing so many friends from the UK scene in the same place reminded me of last year's MPF’s vibe and got me excited for the fest in April. A lovely, boozy warm up show!

This gig review was written by Dan Kilvert. Photos by Emma Prew.

Do It Together Diary: Part One

Do it Together Fest has now come and gone. Normally I would sit down and write a review of the weekend but that seems like something you shouldn't do if it's a gig you helped to put on. I did really want to write something about it though, as it's something I've been involved with that I'm super proud of. So I decided to recount the weekend as a kind of diary entry type post so you can perhaps get an idea of what it was like for me as a first time promoter helping to run my first gig.

September

This whole thing started for me in September of last year when I was put in a group message with my good friends Paul from Be Sharp Promotions and Sarah from Shout Louder/Lockjaw Records. They asked if I wanted to be involved in a super secret gig to celebrate our birthdays and the idea soon evolved into doing something to also celebrate the DIY community that's so important to us all.

October

Over the next month, we put together a line-up featuring our collective favourite bands and many of our good friends. It was looking like a weekend to remember before we even got around to booking the headliners. To my surprise, Paul and Sarah even let me book a couple of the bands which was very exciting. I did my very best professional sounding typing (it's like a phone voice but using a keyboard) and sent emails to Katie MF and Toodles & The Hectic Pity. There's every chance I actually just sent Katie a Facebook message as we're pals and I'm rubbish at being "professional." With only one slight snafu regarding a little miscommunication between one of the bands and the promoters we had a line-up featuring Call Me Malcolm, Forever Unclean, Burnt Tapes, Triple Sundae, Eat Defeat, Goodbye Blue Monday, Uniforms, Just Say Nay, Fabled Mind, Katie MF, Toodles & The Hectic Pity, Our Lives In Cinema and Midwich Cuckoos. This was going to be fun and we hadn't even gotten round to the headliners yet!

When suggesting bands to headline Do It Together, I jokingly suggested Lightyear. It's one of our collective favourite bands ever and would guarantee a big crowd. I didn't actually expect us to book them. But, I forget, this is Paul. Paul managed to do Paul things and get them booked. I forget this is the Paul who managed to do Paul things and get Goldfinger to play NXI. Paul can do anything. When I heard the news of the latest instalment of incredible Paul things with Lightyear, I was at work – I checked my phone and saw that my favourite band ever would be headlining the first event I was ever helping with. I basically did a football celebration around my car park and probably looked like a right weirdo. Especially as I wasn't allowed to tell anyone yet. That night it was actually the album launch party for Just Say Nay's incredible debut full length Maximum Effort. Imagine how hard it is being in a room full of ska punk fans as well as many, many friends and having to keep this massive secret. It was rubbish!

November

November was largely spent promoting Do It Together. A big part of this for me and Paul was flyering. There was a particular busy weekend in London where Hot Water Music and Reel Big Fish were in London for separate shows. As luck would have it, Paul and I were going to these shows, I was at HWM in Camden and Paul was at RBF in Islington (with Lightyear supporting!). We both handed out hundreds of flyers to folk as they were leaving the gigs (yup, we were those people) and a good amount of people seemed vaguely interested. Paul and I both attended a second date of the RBF/Lightyear tour and again did some flyering at the end. I took it as a competition to try and get rid of my flyers quicker than he did. I succeeded and I'm pretty sure I earned the man’s respect. We also finally confirmed our other headliner – the one and only JB Conspiracy. What an incredibe line-up we had!

December

For me, I didn't do much for Do It Together in December. I busied myself sorting out end of year lists for Colin's Punk Rock World and working on our new endeavour CPRW Records. Some might say it's not the best idea to be promoting your first event and starting a record label and I would agree with them. However, I don't know any of these people and I have a bunch of friends who encourage me to make these stupid decisions without really thinking about how busy I already am.

Where I wasn't doing much in the way of Do It Together Fest in December, Sarah was working extremely hard on a zine that would become an actual book for the big gig. Titled Papercuts, the book contains pieces of writing from folk from all over the punk rock community (including myself, Robyn and Dan of CPRW) telling stories of being involved in the punk community and how it's helped them in some way. The finished article is an incredible piece of work and I seriously recommend picking up your own copy here. I have so much love and respect for Sarah, for the job she did on Papercuts – it's amazing.

January

January was mostly spent doing some final promotional work for Do It Together. I posted some interviews on CPRW and Sarah wrote a fact file on all of the bands for Shout Louder. Our good friend Makky also wrote a lovely preview for Broken Arrow Magazine. In fact, the whole build up for the festival seemed to involve the bands playing saying the loveliest things about Paul, Sarah and myself and the work we've done in the DIY scene. There were a couple of things written that genuinely brought a tear to my eye. It's nice to feel appreciated.

The final big job leading up to the weekend was sorting out the fundraising elements of the weekend. We wanted to raise some money for the mental health charity Mind. Sarah, the working machine that she is, did a brilliant job with getting donations from the fine folk at Lockjaw Records and TNSRecords as well as pretty much organising the entire tombola. Earlier in our development of the weekend, Katie (MF) had said she may be able to get a donation of vegan cakes from Ogg's Bakery so I helped to co-ordinate that. I also donated 100 download codes for our Fifth Birthday Compilation for anyone who played the tombola to receive – win or lose. Have you ever had to cut out 100 download codes? It takes ages!

Friday 24th January: Day One of Do It Together Fest 2020

I was up early to release the new CPRW Records comp CPRW Records Presents We Love This Community (available here). In hindsight, deciding to release the comp on the same day as Do It Together probably wasn't my finest idea. An early start on a day, when I knew full well that I would be having a much later night that I'm used to, was not smart. It's classic Colin though.

The rest of the morning was spent at home, packing for the weekend in South London, doing odd chores and having some lunch before heading to the station with Emma for the train. Given the struggles I've had with anxiety in the past, I was surprised that I wasn't more stressed and worried about what was about to come but, for some reason, I was just excited for a fun weekend of great bands and lovely friends. There was nothing to worry about. Paul and Sarah knew exactly what they were doing so I had no need to be concerned about anything.

At about 5pm, Emma and I arrived in New Cross and quickly headed to the New Cross House where we had arranged to meet Sarah and Paul for some before-the-madness-begins dinner. New Cross House was full so we organised to meet up at NXI and make a new plan. Sarah arrived first as she was staying upstairs in the hostel. As Emma and I entered our home from home we were greeted by big hugs from Sarah. We hadn't actually seen Sarah since MPF in April 2019 – which is far too long! Sarah then set about introducing us to her friend Freddy who was down from Manchester to help us out and was, in all honesty, the unsung hero of the entire weekend, as well as Lesley from Midwich Cuckoos and Lockjaw Records. Our old pal Steve, drummer of Eat Defeat, had also arrived early for the set and we had a quick catch up about Eat Defeat's time in America last October. Paul eventually arrived and we decided to pop to our regular New Cross fast food place Chicago's for some delicious vegan shawarma wraps.

Heading back to the pub, we decided to hide in the booths around the corner, eat our dinner and catch up some more as well as discussing the weekend ahead. I sat around there talking until just after doors and was pleasantly surprised to see the venue already had plenty of people who had come down early, when we went back. This was great to see. The thing I loved most about Do It Together was the amount of people who had travelled from different parts of the country and indeed Europe to attend. It really blew my mind and I was very excited to spend some time with friends who I rarely get to see.

Before the bands got going, I got to have a quick catch up with Leo from Forever Unclean and finally got to meet band members Lasse and Troels as well. for the first time after years of following the band. Forever Unclean weren't due to play until the following evening but had come early to enjoy the entire weekend. These gentlemen are heroes.

The first band on were Midwich Cuckoos. I didn't really know a lot about them before the set but was quickly impressed by how tight they were as a band. They have a very commanding presence that makes them pretty hard to ignore. I think they were a great choice to open the weekend and really got us off to a flying start.

After they finished, I looked towards the door to see people queuing up to get in. We really were not expecting this – it made us very happy. I genuinely can't remember a time where I've been to New Cross Inn and seen a queue! Just Say Nay were next to take to the stage. Playing their first NXI show since their excellent album launch in October, lead singer Jak Coleman took to the stage and announced it was good to be home. A lot of bands on the line-up would probably see NXI as a home venue and it was so nice to have them all together at one time. While Midwich Cuckoos were a powerful opener, I felt like Just Say Nay was when the party really got started. It didn't take long for the band to get the crowd moving. Something that I thought was really good for a lot of the bands playing was that they got to play to people they wouldn't usually as we had purposely organised a mixture of genres for the weekend. I'm pretty confident JSN gained some more fans with this performance. Big shout out to Mikey T of JSN for the best stage dive of the entire weekend, the man threw himself off the stage and I was surprised he was actually caught by the small crowd of people directly in front of him.

The penultimate act of the night (not including the after party) were Eat Defeat. They were an absolute no brainer to have play Do It Together as Paul, Sarah and myself all have long histories with the band. Despite being based in Leeds, Eat Defeat always feel like a "New Cross band" to me and you can't have a party without them. As always, they were very well received and, of course, managed to get a massive sing-along to their final song Not Today, Old Friend. It was nice at the end of their set to see a lot of people head over to their merch table to buy things from them. After the crowd cleared, Emma and I went to see Summers – he's one of the best people in the UK DIY scene and it's always lovely to see him.

Ska punk legends The JB Conspiracy were the band tasked with headlining the first night of Do It Together. As soon as they were mentioned, I couldn't think of a better band for the job so was over the moon when they agreed to do it. JBC don't play anywhere near enough gigs these days so it always feels like quite the event when they do get together. I kind of feel like JBC are a band that really epitomise the idea of Do It Together. I'm quite sure that almost every time I've seen them over the years they've had at least one member who didn't play the gig I'd seen them at before. Obviously, life can often prevent having the full band available all of the time but the band have so many people always willing to step in and help out if they're needed. Of course, JBC played a fantastic set – they always do. They played a host of songs from This Machine and The Storm, as well as some newer songs yet to be released that sound incredible. It was nice to see everyone around us having such a good time watching the band, even the folk who aren't really ska punk fans seemed to really dig what was going on.

After the set, I went and found Paul as I had a nagging feeling that I should be doing something. He's a rubbish taskmaster so I found Sarah next. We decided that it would be a good idea to close down the tombola for the night during the after party. The after party was provided by NXI's favourite punk rock classics cover band The Aversions who feature my new friend Max from Youths. Lovely man and a great band – check them out. We were surprised by the amount of people who stayed for the duration and really got into their set. I guess, when a band mostly plays covers from the Tony Hawk’s games they're going to get a great reception. Also, clearly knowing their audience they borrowed Katy and Charlotte from Just Say Nay to play brass for their covers of All Outta Angst, Superman and The Impression That I Get. This was such a fun way to finish a brilliant first day of Do It Together.

Emma and I made our way back to our AirBnB at about 1am in the morning. We entered the flat and it was absolutely freezing. We'd forgotten to turn the heating on. This lead to a night of shivering and fidgeting and eventually about three hours sleep, before getting woken up by the trains on the train line at the back of the building which I had absolutely no idea about. Perfect preparation for what was going to be a pretty hectic day. I was exhausted and excited for another brilliant day.

This Do It Together Diary was written by Colin Clark. Photos by Emma Prew.

Do It Together: Meet Just Say Nay, Toodles & The Hectic Pity and Katie MF

Do It Together 2020 is just one week away and we wanted to help you get to know some of the amazing acts that are playing the weekend. Thanks to Jak from Just Say Nay, Callum from Toodles & The Hectic Pity and Katie from Katie MF for answering our questions.

Callum from Toodles & The Hectic Pity

Hello, who are you and what band do you play in?
Hey! I am Callum and I played in Toodles & the Hectic Pity.

Can you describe your band please?
Toodles are a three-piece folk punk band from Bristol, taking influences from bands like AJJ, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Mountain Goats. Honestly, it’s mostly pretty up-beat stuff but the themes are very much not and I think some of the songs we’ve been writing recently owe an awful lot to emo  and pop punk as well – which is a fun space to be in, sat in between a lot of interesting genres.

The three of us have known each other since we were teenagers and started a band when we were leaving school, but because we went to different unis it was a bit of a slow-burning start and for the most part I was sending demos that I recorded on my phone over to the other two. We got to practice maybe once every few months and then I went to Canada for six months – but we very slowly wrote the songs that would be part of our first record, Call In Sick, which our close friend and indispensable collaborator Iwan of Invisible Llama Music released for us in 2017. We have a new release due from Specialist Subject Records in February which is called Ghosts, Guilt & Grandparents. Hopefully we will have copies in time for Do It Together!

How was your 2019?
We started off 2019 by playing a rare Bristol show with Chewing on Tinfoil, then touring around the UK with my brother’s band, (then Jake & the Jellyfish, now known as Sunliner) which was super fun. We played a whole bunch of places we’d never been before. Then we also got the chance to play with Spanish Love Songs and Microwave, and we did two shows with Jeffrey Lewis in Bristol and London, which was nuts – and then got to play Specialist Subject’s birthday all-dayer to celebrate 2 years in Bristol, which was honestly such a fantastic show with the likes of ONSIND, Garden Centre, Grand Pop and Me Rex.

To be honest, we’ve been laying low a little bit since then and working on writing and recording the new EP, Ghosts, Guilt & Grandparents. We recorded with Tim Rowing-Parker of WOAHNOWS and Dogeyed fame over the summer and had an absolutely lovely time with it, too. Since then we’ve been working with Specialist Subject on planning this release and focusing more on 2020 – which is going to be a busy one.

What was your first exposure to DIY punk rock?
To be honest my first exposure was my brother’s band, Sunliner (formerly Jake & the Jellyfish). Jake is about five years older than me and was, naturally, involved in DIY punk music way before I was – organising gigs for himself and other bands at The Croft in Bristol and around the country – and introducing me (through the fact he was simply playing them in the car or wherever else) to a whole bunch of bands.

Also, weirdly enough, it came from the other direction too. My sister who is two years younger than me is an avid music-discoverer in a way that I am definitely not. When I hear something that I love, I’m into it and I’ll listen to it to death. I go to gigs a lot too but I don’t spend time browsing Bandcamp or Spotify in search of new things. But my sister really does spend a lot of time discovering new music and, to be honest, most bands I’ve ever liked have come through her recommending them to me. From late in school and then at uni, I started to attend DIY shows more regularly in Cardiff and Bristol – most formatively at the Deadpunk Alldayers. I think that’s when we all realised that we wanted to make music but also that, unlike some young musicians, we didn’t have our eyes on stardom or anything: we really did have our vision of success as being part of the DIY scene. So in that sense, we’ve essentially achieved our dreams.

What does “Do It Together” mean to you?
To me, it’s really about the fact that the DIY scene really is about collaboration. It’s not just “Do It Yourself” in an individualistic sense, it is about “Do It Yourselves” – plural. Essentially it’s an anti-gatekeeper, anti-industry-insider, anti-fame-and-fortune approach to creativity. DIY punk is, or should be, a real fuck you to certain ideas about musicianship and creativity – who’s allowed to do it and what that means. It should attempt to break down fan/artist divides and accept that people making and organising are part of the same project as people who are participating. And basically, a fuck you to the marketisation of everything in our lives including music. In fact, bands, musicians, creators, consumers, participators – we’re not in competition with each other and we’re not trying to get ahead. We’re trying to build shit together and promote solidarity and community.

Tell us about the DIY scene where you’re based?
Bristol has a thriving music scene and DIY scene – which goes without saying. But that’s not to say that everything’s ok and everything’s easy. Venues are still closing down, for one thing. For another, DIY promoting is a pretty thankless task. We could do with more smaller DIY spaces for cheaper, smaller shows. We’ve got a lot of mid-size venues in Bristol which can be a daunting prospect for most bands. Plus, promoters are taking big financial risks putting on shows and have more bands looking for shows than they can reasonably organise. It’s a rough game! I wouldn’t want to do it, but I’m thankful for those hardworking people who spend time and energy doing it.

We’ve gotta find a better model for supporting DIY shows all over the UK, because right now the weight falls heavily on the shoulders of those with real drive and passion and there’s always a danger of burnout and financial trouble. In Bristol, I’ve got massive respect in particular for Eat Up and Eat Up For Starters who are doing some of the best, most inclusive, most radical work carving out room for feminist, queer, trans and non-binary friendly spaces in the DIY music scene. But it’s also on us, the music-lovers, to cherish what we have and go out and participate and pay in and buy merch and support bands and promoters. Otherwise there’s a decent chance we could lose them. People give up every day and even more decide not to get involved to begin with. And that’s a real shame.

How would you sell Do It Together to someone who’s on the fence about coming?
I think that Do It Together seems like a real labour of love. There’s plenty of all-dayers and weekenders and gigs going on but, again, it’s really worth supporting the people who are putting the love into it. Be Sharp, Lockjaw Records, Colin’s Punk Rock World and Shout Louder are all projects born out of enthusiasm for live music. They’re not soulless profit making agencies looking for the next band to blow up. Otherwise they wouldn’t have booked us! Not saying this to sound up ourselves, but I know that we were put on this bill because the people involved really like us. And I think sometimes as a gig-goer you’ve got to put your faith in the hands of the mega-enthusiasts and say “Hey I’m going to trust your recommendation and see where it takes me.” And that’s rarely something you regret.

What other act are you most looking forward to seeing at Do It Together?
Triple Sundae. But also, to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to see any of the other bands on the line-up live before – so I’m really excited for that. Just a bunch of lovely new faces and new music to enjoy.

What song from another band on the line-up do you wish you had written?
Pollution by Triple Sundae. It’s just a perfect punk song, start to finish. And what a riff!

What does the band have planned for the rest of 2020?
So, us and Triple Sundae are playing some shows either side of Do It Together Fest – in Cardiff on the Friday and Oxford on the Sunday. Then February 7th sees us put out our second EP, Ghosts, Guilt & Grandparents, which is out from Specialist Subject Records. Really stoked for that! We should be doing a Bristol launch show in February, and then a UK tour in March on the week leading up to Chris Fishlock’s annual all-dayer at the Exchange in Bristol, “Fishstock”, which is on the 28th of March. That tour is almost fully booked now – playing a whole bunch of places we haven’t been before which is really fun. Then it’s a bit of an open book. We’re hoping to get over the Europe, too. But right now we’re just focusing on the immediate shows around the release.

As I said, we had a fairly quiet 2019 but I think 2020 is going to be a big year for us.

Speaking of Europe – we’ve never been over as a band so if you are reading this and you want us to play your town or have any recommendations please send us a message!


Jak from Just Say Nay

Hello, who are you and what band do you play in?
Hello, I’m Jak and I sing and prance around in Just Say Nay.

Can you describe your band please?
Nonsense. It’s all just complete sugary, head bopping, tongue twisting nonsense.

How was your 2019?
For the most part it was pretty bloody amazing. JSN finally got our album out and for a while we all felt like nothing bad was ever going to happen again in the world ever.

What was your first exposure to DIY punk rock?
My first experience was when there use to be local gigs in Dartford town. This was around 2003 perhaps. A band called My Dad Is Big. Amazing fun they were. Paul Smith will know, he was there.

What does “Do It Together” mean to you?
Everyone’s stronger together right?

“It’s dangerous to go alone.”

Tell us about the DIY scene where you’re based?
JSN are based right in the heart of Be Sharp country. The scene we’re in is the best. Other bands don’t believe me when I tell them about how good we have it.

How would you sell Do It Together to someone who’s on the fence about coming?
You mean there would be people on the fence about coming?

I’d say, you can walk in knowing nobody and leave knowing the finest humans you can ever wish to know.

What other act are you most looking forward to seeing at Do It Together?
Lightyear always. Our boyfriends in Call Me Malcolm and Triple Sundae. And Our Lives In Cinema too, their bass player is so mysterious and moody it just makes me go all giddy.

What song from another band on the line-up do you wish you had written?
That’s easy, For years and years I have always wished that I had written “Life Jacket Water Wings” by Lightyear.

What does the band have planned for the rest of 2020?
Playing this album to death everywhere we can. I can’t imagine it’d be too long before you start hearing a bit of new music from us either, I say, I say.


Katie from Katie MF

Hello, who are you and what band do you play in?
Oh hey. I’m Katie MF and I play in, erm, Katie MF. We’re working on the name…

Can you describe your band please?
We are beyond description – a folk/punk reckoning for our times; an explosive force of nature, a… god sorry, I’ve had a coffee. We play poppy/folky/punky/angry stuff and have a bit of fun with it – think break-ups and Brexit. And dancing. Bad dancing.

How was your 2019?
Pretty great to be honest. We went on our first tour (3 nights counts) and started to feel really solid as a band – we don’t get to play full band shows that often (I do a lot of acoustic stuff), so it’s taken a little while to really gel but I think we’re there now and it feels GOOD. Ben (bass) and Tobias (drums) are infinitely better musicians than I am so it’s a consistent pleasure to play with them.

Plus we/I supported a few personal heroes, released another EP and, importantly, made a bunch of new friends.

What was your first exposure to DIY punk rock?
That is a difficult question. Probably when I was 16/17 – my friends ran a few (mostly metal) nights at The White Horse in Wycombe (where I grew up) and I’d hang around not really knowing what was going on but hoping someone else did. Then my punk side lay dormant until about 3 years ago when I starting ‘doing the music thing properly’ – my songs got faster and louder then, as a band, we got booked to support Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves at New Cross Inn, got written up on CPRW and found a whole new community. So thanks CPRW!

What does “Do It Together” mean to you?
I could write an essay on this, but in sum: family, community and sharing equally in the disappointments and successes. The whole is bigger than the sum of the parts. It’s taken me too many years to really appreciate that.

Tell us about the DIY scene where you’re based?
In a nutshell, it’s about being able to go down to NXI (or anywhere else putting on a punk show) and always seeing a friendly face or five – whether they’re on stage or in the crowd. It’s supportive and inclusive, and holy shit there’s a lot of talent.

How would you sell Do It Together to someone who’s on the fence about coming?
You’ll meet some of the best people there are and have a chance to see a few bands who are unlikely to still be playing local shows this time next year. It’ll be a guaranteed tonic to all the shit that’s going on in the world right now. Plus, Lightyear.

What other act are you most looking forward to seeing at Do It Together?
Eat Defeat. Always and forever. And Call Me Malcolm because, somewhat unbelievably, it’ll be my first time. And Goodbye Blue Monday. And Uniforms.

What song from another band on the line-up do you wish you had written?
Shortcuts [by Eat Defeat] – it’s in my head at least 5 times a week.

What does the band have planned for the rest of 2020?
More of the same, but better. I’m going to be announcing a little solo run with some pals soon and have a few louder and longer things in the works…

Check out the Facebook event page for Do It Together here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1260074194165046/

You can buy tickets here: https://newcrossinn.com/tickets/events/do-it-together-fest

Top Tens: Dan#2's Top Ten Releases Of 2019

10. III by Masked Intruder
If you don't know Masked Intruder, they take the idea of making fun of how creepy most love songs are to the extreme: they are stalking you and are known criminals singing you sweet love songs about breaking into your house! This album is a continuation of the style of rock-and-roll-super-poppy-punk their last EP put them on the path towards. I love the guitar licks and singing these hooks on this record to myself (not too loudly though – the other people on the train wouldn't get the joke!)

9. Operation Exodus by Adrenalized
In the summer at a Hit The Switch show in London, I was chatting to another person enjoying the show who recommended this album by Adrenalized as the best skate punk record to come out so far this year. I took his recommendation and he was damn right about this record being a delight to listen to. It contains so many face melting riffs that leave your jaw well and truly dropped, and it's impossible not to be blown away by the last 50 seconds of "Decide". All this is topped by tight-knit production that brings out every little lick. Put simply, this record is awesome.

8. Flash Gordon Ramsay Street by The Decline
This is another banging skate punk record! I went into this one with the same expectation as I did for Adrenalized, what I got was a little more personal – it's full of takes on certain mental health topics with a touch of humour to keep it from getting too miserable. It's still full of great skate punk riffs but the songs’ lyrics connect deep: "Get Hyrule, Save Zelda" alludes to bad depression spells – skipping out of work to just escape into video games. The record is full of really deep takes like this. I'm a massive Decline fan after this record and can't wait to see them when they're next in the UK!

7. Interrobang by Bayside
So many people sleep on Bayside, they dwell in the emo scene but have a habit of writing some of the best minor chord punk rock songs. Interrobang is another perfectly produced record dripping in misery. The heavy guitar and beautiful vocals are a combo that my ears just can't get enough of.

6. Complaint by Watsky
The only rap record to make my list this year. Everything this guy makes I love and when he announced a 9 track album, I was a little disappointed that it would be too short for me to get my full Watsky fix. However, I'm glad to report that everything on this record hits hard and feels deeply personal. "Welcome To The Family" makes me cry on every late night train ride; "Mean Ass Drunk" is a party piece I love rapping along to; and "Limo 4 Emos" reminds me of friends helping me out of bad head spaces. The lyrics are poetry as usual and he has really improved his singing voice while trying new styles of songs with different production, which leaves the whole thing sounding fresh and which stands out from his last release. I can't wait for the next Watsky record, 'cause every single one seems to make my top 10 lists.

5. Morbid Stuff by PUP
Morbid Stuff is a perfect follow up to a record that I already thought was perfect! It expands PUP's sound wonderfully, adding more chorus-y pop-punk to their set list. My personal favourites are: "See You At Your Funeral" the lyrics for this made me burst out laughing on my commute to work (rhyming "produce section" with "healthy selection" is silly but inspired); "Scorpion Hill" blends a clean country hook with a punk rock song, broaching a beautifully depressing subject; "Sibling Rivalry", with one of those super shouty choruses, hit close to home when I think how I fight with my brother; and finally, "Full Blown Meltdown" is the angry jam that I needed to get me through my year. To reiterate: this record is perfect. Each song feels different, but still contains the PUP sound. Like their previous record, this one is a tough act to follow – but I bet they will.

4. Glow by Triple Sundae
Although I may have heard all these songs live before hearing this EP, it still hit me harder emotionally than anything else on this list. Triple Sundae have a way of writing really meaningful, personal lyrics, plus their songs are catchy while standing out from the other stuff I have heard this year. The melodies are so good. "Swisher" and "Safe" still sometimes make me have a cry and I always shout the bridge to "Everything's Cool" when it comes on in the car. It's great watching people I know making amazing music, and I will repeat what I have already said to them: "Please keep making more music!"

3. Never Better by Burnt Tapes
Speaking of watching friends’ bands flourish, when the first single "Yuzi" was released I knew we were in for something special from Burnt Tapes. The production was perfect and the song had dropped right after the end of a long term relationship, so the lyrics really hit me at the right time. When the full record rolled around, there were so many stand out tracks that weren't singles. To me, its amazing blend of punk-pop instrumentation with rough-round-the-edges punk rock vocals hits all the sweet spots – creating the ultimate sing-along regret punk! This record has made many people's end-of-year lists for all the right reasons. If you haven't yet, go pick it up!

2. Passenger by Fabled Mind
This is exactly how I like my punk rock: fast, political and unpredictable. My first listen to Passenger by Fabled Mind turned into multiple back-to-back listens, as I played it through front to back, then again, then again, I honestly love to listen to this record on loop, the vibe it gives off reminds me of early Rise Against. The writing is great: every song is single-worthy and I also love how the vocals perfectly match with the riffs. Also, this is some of the best drumming I've heard this year – not a drum beat out of place. I can't wait to see what these boys do next if this is only their first record. It left me craving more!

1. Maximum Effort by Just Say Nay
So I stuck this on on the day it came out, on the way to the dentist. Then on the way back. Then I found myself then going to Just Say Nay’s album launch show the same day. I had started the day having no intention of going to a gig. That's how much draw these songs have to me: I just had to see them played live, especially "Kuromouri" which is a ska Decline-esque (the NOFX track, not the band that also made this list!) song clocking in over 8 minutes. To me, it's the best song to come out this year. I love everything about this record: the song structures are clever, the riffs are banging, the basslines are killer, the harmonies are awesome and the lyrics are theatrical but still connect deeply. There isn't a boring moment on the record. When I listen to Maximum Effort, I want to see it all played live again. I will definitely be seeing Just Say Nay at every opportunity!

This top ten was written by Dan Kilvert of Tape It Shut.