The Dead Anyways are a punk band from Bromley. After forming
in 2011 they released their debut EP Direct Me Home in May of this year.
Title track Direct Me Hope starts the EP off with some a
quick fire drum roll before being joined by a buzz saw guitar and finally some rumbling
bass. As soon as the vocals kick in I like what I hear. Lead singer Dave has a
gruff gravelly voice that is so popular in punk these days but you can hear his
south London accent coming through. I like it when people sing in their own
tongue. The song itself is about missing someone and not feeling at home without
them. The lyric “you cured me of that homesick feeling, by making it so I could
not go home” sums it up perfectly.
The next song is named Oscar Wilde At Heart. The intro of
this song reminds me of the NOFX song Dinosaurs Will Die from 2000’s Pump Up
The Valuum. By no means a bad thing, NOFX are an obvious influence on The Dead
Anyways and probably should be for any band in the genre of punk rock. Oscar
Wilde At Heart is about drinking to forget about your problems.
Track three, Night Letters is a break up song. It’s about
giving all of yourself to someone and then being left with nothing. The opening
lines of the song set the stall at from the start “I lost everything to you,
then I lost you too, I let you steal my heart, didn’t know you’d take my life
as well.”
Lost To The Fog completes the EP with another song and break
ups and the regrets that come with it. Musically this song is the most upbeat
on this release and lyrically it’s very relatable and quite catchy. The chorus
screams out for some fist in the air action at a live show.
Overall this is a decent first release by The Dead Anyways. Even
so the subject matter is kind of depressing it’s not going to get you down
listening to it. The production quality gives Direct Me Home a raw sound, which
suits the songs perfectly. There is a great deal of promise in The Dead Anyways
and I’m looking forward to hearing more from them.
This week punk website beardedpunk.com released a new
compilation featuring forty of the best punk bands on the planet. I obviously
downloaded it and absolutely loved it. Then it got me thinking about
compilations, playlists and how much I enjoy making them. I can spend hours
carefully picking the perfect song and theme for one. I also thought about how
many of my favourite bands I discovered through various compilation CD’s when I
was younger. Before the days of Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Bandcamp or any
other internet social media page you mostly found out about new bands by either
going to shows or buying compilations. For me and many others the best ones
were Fat Wreck Chords Fat Music CD’s or Epitaph Records Punk-O-Rama series.
Though these records I discovered bands like The Bouncing Souls, Dropkick
Murphys, Mad Caddies and Lagwagon. Even today I think one of the best ways to
discover your new favourite band is on a comp. I decided to make one myself,
showcasing the best in underground UK punk rock. Here are the songs I picked.
1. Above Them – Keep
Smiling from Blueprint From A Better Time
This song by Yorkshire based punks is about not backing down
and staying positive despite everything. It’s incredibly catchy and will be
stuck in your head for days.
London’s Apologies, I Have None are a band that have gone
for a two chaps playing acoustic guitars to a full on punk rock band other the
years. This song, released in 2009 is one of their earlier efforts and is about
going to gigs. I love the lyric “tonight I’ll sing along with my favourite
songs and for a moment feel saved in six strings and drums.”
3. bad ideas – One Seven Two from Murder Of The Gods
bad ideas are an indie punk band from Leeds. One Seven Two
is a laidback poppy song similar to New Jerseys Saves The Day. One Seven Two is
about missing good times from the past.
4. Bangers – Straight Gin Makes You Batshit Crazy from Dude
Trips
Cornwall’s Bangers are a three piece straight up no nonsense
punk band and one of the most exciting in the scene. Front man Roo Pescod has
one of the most unique voices around. Straight Gin Makes You Batshit Crazy is a
fist pumping anthem about always being wanting to keep partying and not slowing
down.
5. Bear Trade – Bleedin’ Heart Trouble from Blood and Sand
Bear Trade are a four piece from the North of England. They
recently put out Blood and Sand on Everything Sucks Music.
6. Caves – I Don’t Care, I Don’t Care from Betterment
Bristols Caves are a three piece band with duo male and
female vocals. Their latest album Betterment came out on Specialist Subject
Records in 2013. I Don’t Care, I Don’t care is one of my favourite songs off of
the album, I like the fast frantic nature of it.
Chewing On Tinfoil are a five piece from Dublin. (Yes I know
Dublin isn’t in the UK but this a great song). The ska tinged Forty Shades of
Grey is about picking yourself up when people try and knock you down. I love
the lyrics in the chorus “we have all been down, that’s the way life is, we
have all worn frowns instead of smiling kid, we have all been down but we’ll
get up again, not all kings wear crowns, at least you have your friends.”
8. The Dauntless Elite – I Am A Ninja, My Life Is Lonely and
Difficult from Graft/Security
Another band from Leeds, The Dauntless Elite play rough and
ready punk rock inspired by bands such as Snuff, Dillinger Four and American
Steel. There is lots of gravelly voiced singing and plenty of gang vocals in
this one.
Demon Smiles are a female fronted three piece pop punk band
from Brighton. Lead singer Cat Goodman has one of the strongest voices in punk
at the moment. SOS is fantastic song about being disenchanted with how the punk
rock scene has become and taking it back.
Dropthis are a fresh and fun hardcore punk band from Kent. The
opening to Exploit Me really caught my attention when I first heard it, it
sounds a bit like a cross between Bad Religion and Me First and the Gimme
Gimmes. Definitely not a bad thing.
11. Ducking Punches – Big Brown Pills From Lynn from Dance
Before You Sleep
Five piece folk punk band Ducking Punches are from Norwich.
Having supported Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls in Europe this year they
released their second album Dance Before You Sleep to many positive reviews.
Big Brown Pills From Lynn is a catchy song about living life too excessively.
12. Dynamite Dynamite – Two Sticks And Rage from It’s Only
Breathing
From Scunthorpe, melodic punk band Dynamite Dynamite
recently put out It’s Only Breathing on 13 Stitches Records. On this track the
influence of Oklahoma punk rockers Red City Radio is very apparent.
Another band from Yorkshire (I hadn’t realised just how many
great bands come from there) Eat Defeat play fun and fast punk rock.
Faithbreaker displays some fantastic gang vocals and harmonies as well as
having a stupidly catchy chorus. The song itself is about people with different
beliefs coming together for one common goal.
14. Gnarwolves – Limerence from Chronicles Of Gnarnia
Gnarwolves are without a doubt the biggest band coming out
of the UK underground punk scene. With a slot on the Reading and Leeds main stages
in a couple of week’s things just get bigger and bigger for the Brighton three
piece.
Great Cynics are an indie pop punk band from London and are another
of the fastest rising bands in the country. Letting Go is a sing along song
about not sweating on the issues. The chorus of “nothing ever matters, if you
don’t let it matter, so I tell myself it’s true, I never thought I’d do half
the things I do, but I won’t let it get me down” is almost therapeutic.
16. A Great Notion – Friends & Foundations from Possibilities...
Peterborough folk punk band A Great Notion formed in 2010.
They sing honest songs from the heart about good times and friends. Friends
& Foundations is a song about remembering where you came from. A great laid
back song.
The Hook Line Riot are a band containing members of early
2000’s P-Rock heroes 4ft Fingers. This is honest punk rock with plenty of
heart. This is a very mature version on punk music and older fans of the genre
will love it.
18. Leagues Apart – Rampant Horse is Rampant from Brief
Interviews With Hideous Men
Leagues Apart are a four piece punk band from Manchester who
utilize three different singers. They play catchy gruff punk rock. This song is
my favourite from their debut album Brief Interviews With Hideous Men and the
chorus of “we look like shit and we march like saints” will get stuck in your
head for days.
19. Luke Godwin – Let’s Walk Away from Brand New Lands
Luke Godwin is a singer/songwriter who also plays in the
band Break-Ups. His solo album Brand New Lands (where he plays almost every
instrument) is full of fantastic songs. My favourite being Let’s Walk Away, a
song about struggling to live in your own skin.
Mike TV are one of the finest pop punk bands in the country
and are heavily influenced by 90’s Lookout Records punk. In lead singer and
bass player Domb they have one of the finest songwriters around whether the
subject matter is light hearted or serious. 90’s Teenager is about being
educated by your music collection rather than at school.
Canterbury emo band Moose Blood are about to blow up with
debut album I’ll Keep You In Mind From Time To Time soon to be released on USA
label No Sleep Records. Bukowski showcase what Moose Blood are all about,
energetic guitar-driven songs with plenty or harmonies and lyrics you can
relate to.
London skate punks Müg are the undergrounds best kept
secret. Clearly influenced by 90’s punk rock they play fast and technical punk songs.
I like the singing structure on Pop Isn’t A Dirty Word. It’s 100% pop but it
drives the song on words, even if the words don’t stay in your head the melody
will.
23. Muncie Girls – Kasper and Randow from Revolution Summer
Muncie Girls are a indie pop punk band from Exeter. With a
bit more exposure Muncie Girls could be massive as they are extremely
accessible. There is enough punk in them to keep the punk police at bay but
they also have enough pop in them to grab the attention of people who would
normally shy away from punk music. Kasper and Rainbow is a song about getting
to that point in your life where you are supposed to choose how you live your
life and fighting it. Something everyone can relate to.
24. The Murderburgers – All My Best Friends Are Dying from
These Are Only Problems
The Murderburgers are a pop punk band from Scotland. This
Ramones-core band have now released five full length albums, the latest, These
Are Only Problems was released on Mike Parks Asian Man Records. All My Best
FriendsAre Dying is a sombre tale worrying about a friend who is stuck in a bad
place.
Officer Down are a melodic punk/hardcore band from Evesham
signed to TNS Records. I only recently discovered Officer Down when I saw they
were supporting The Flatliners at The Underworld in August. I had a listen and
loved what I heard. Open Waters is an aggressive sounding song but the vocals
and backups are spot on and the chorus is extremely catchy.
26. ONSIND – Mildred from Mildred, Margie, Annie and Clarice
I absolutely adore ONSIND, there isn’t one song of theirs
that I haven even a little bit of dislike for and could happily watch them play
live every day for the rest of my life. Mildred is an acoustic pop song about
being on being depressed and being on medication because of that and having
great friends to talk to.
Be A Man is an massive anthem from London punks Pacer (not
huge in length, it’s only 1:27 long). As the title suggest it’s a song
questioning what it takes to be a man. The verse is fast a furious and the
chorus of “what does it take to be a man? thought I knew once but I still don’t
understand, the destinations out in front of me, how I get there is a mystery”
really hits the nail on the head
Welsh bearded punks Question The Mark are a really underrated
band. Bottoms Up is a song about as you might guess, drinking. It’s about
drinking too much and hitting rock bottom. The song is well structured, its raw
sounding and has a great fist in the air quality about it.
29. Rivalries – Built To Last from Out Of Town and Back
Again
Rivalries (not to be confused by a band from Melbourne with
the same name) are a pop punk band from London. Built To Last is an upbeat song
about loving where you are in your life. There are some brilliant harmonies
towards the end of the song.
30. River Jumpers – Heartstrong from Words, Chords and Irony
River Jumpers are another first class pop punk band from
Brighton. The song Heartstrong is somewhat inspiring. It’s a song about going
after the things you love and believe in no matter the what the consequences
could be.
Rob Lynch is a man who is going to be huge soon. Having just
spent the entire summer on the Vans Warped Tour in America he is just about to
release his debut album All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul on
Xtra Mile Recordings (home of a certain other singer/songwriter named Frank).
His honest acoustic pop punk will put a smile on your face and have you singing
as loudly as you can.
Fast, furious and fun punk rock is the name of the game for
The Rocco Lampones. Channelling the spirit of influences such as NOFX, Screeching
Weasel, The Lawrence Arms and Descendents each Rocco Lampones song hits you
like a brick in the face, except it’s fantastic.
Celtic punk band The Roughneck Riot are from Warrington and
have just signed to TNS Records. Street Dogs front man Mike McColgan once
described them as the best band in the UK, big words from a legend of the punk
rock world. Incorporating a mandolin, banjo and accordion in their sound, The
Roughneck Riot stand out from many of their contemporaries in the scene.
Haverhill singer/songwriter Sam Russo has been getting lots
of attention from both sides of the Atlantic. His heart on your sleeve acoustic
songs have earned him a massive fan base and has even put out split CDs with
punk heavyweights Chuck Ragan and Brendan Kelly.
35. Smokey Bastard – Aspirations, I Have Some from Tales From
The Wasteland
Smokey Bastard are an incredibly unique band. On their
Facebook page they classify themselves as a folk punk band, which is a fair generalisation
as they have banjos, mandolins and accordions in their band but they are so
much more. Tales From The Wasteland is a very varied album. Aspirations, I Have
Some is up there with my all time favourite songs. It starts off quickly with
some buzz saw guitars and some raw vocals, and then halfway through the tempo
changes and goes into one of the best sing along break downs I’ve ever heard.
Another wonderfully unique band are Dorkings WEGROWBEARDS.
It’s pretty standard gruff punk rock the subject matter is solely about famous
events in history. Punk rock you can learn from!
Woahnows are an indie punk band from Plymouth. Another
highly energetic sounding band with huge potential. The guitar riffs are
exciting, the bass is pounding yet intricate and the drumming is precise. All
of this combined with some smart lyrics and great harmonies and you have a very
good band.
Wonk Unit are another very unique band, they play punk but
not as you know it. They somehow, by luck or on purpose have managed to create
a sound all of their own. One thing is for sure though, Wonk Unit are all about
having fun, everybody loves having fun!
39. Zatopeks – The Summer I Fell In Love With Jimmy’s Girl
from Ain’t Nobody Left But Us
The Zatopeks are a pop punk band based in London, Bristol
and Berlin. Influenced by Ramones style pop punk and 60’s pop the Zatopeks are
great and telling stories within their songs. The Summer I Fell In Love With
Jimmy’s Girl tells the story of two rival biker gangs and how the leader of one
gang fell in love with the girl of the other gangs leader. There aren’t many
pop punk bands who can go with a concept like this and make it work, but the
Zatopeks manage it all down to some great song writing.
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (released on Cats? Aye
Records) is the long awaited debut album by Manchester punk band Leagues Apart.
Having released a few EPs over the past few years Leagues Apart seemed to tease
a proper full length for ages so I was extremely excited to finally get my
hands on it.
The first song is the brilliantly titled Kat Dennings; You
Are My Everest. Starting out with some gravelling tones that Leagues Apart have
become known for this song is about wanting to get away from a life that has
become stagnant. Like you would expect from this gruff style of punk rock the choruses
are really catchy and you will be singing along with them in no time at all.
Track two In Spite Of It All continues this vein with the chorus of “I’ll drink
away all my regrets, blacken my lungs with cigarettes, I’ll pool all my
collected ills and slowly choke to death.” It might not be the most positive chorus
you’ll ever sing but it is definitely something a lot of people can easily
relate to.
I Would Consider John Candy A Noir Actor is one of the
slower songs on the album. Starting off with just an acoustic guitar it tells a
tale of a girl who is down on her luck. It builds slowly before a fist pumping
finale. There is also a appearance from folk punk Sam Russo to top it all off.
Track four Rampant Horse Is Rampant is my favourite song on
Brief Interviews. It embodies the I don’t care what you think spirit of punk
rock. The chorus of “we look like shit and we march like saints” makes me think
of how the punk rock community comes together and making a stand against
something.
Another song with an excellent title is I Thought You Meant
Wales The Country. This is a bass driven song where the with gang vocals a
plenty. The Confessions Of Howard Campbell Jr. is a slower song about the sadness
of two people drifting apart and not having anything to talk about anymore.
Winton Kingdom is a fast paced song that with gang vocals
that really remind me of Oklahoma City’s Red City Radio, not that that is a bad
thing. It’s a song about being away on tour and not sleeping to meet up with a
loved one. Penelope Booze Cruise (which I assume is a play on the actress
Penelope Cruz and the Lawrence Arms song Boatless Booze Cruise) talks about a
young girl who is involved in some bad things.
I Was Born A Snake Handler And I’ll Die A Snake Handler
starts off with a Fat Mike-esque snarl and is a song about being down and out
but not quitting and trying to improve yourself. It’s another slow bass driven
song with some great harmonies towards the end of the song. Dave Can I Borrow
Your Phone is a song about friendship. The lyric “take your fucking life back
because it’s only just begun, and man it hurts to see you decaying so young” is
about worrying about your friend and encouraging them to get themselves better.
The penultimate song You’re In Hell playing mind games with a partner and
wondering why you do it. This is really interesting and unique subject matter
for a song.
Brief Interview With Hideous Men closes with the five minute
long To Know The Night Is To Live In It Forever. The Lawrence Arms influence on
Leagues Apart is very evident here. This is another song with a huge chorus
that will be stuck in your head for days.
This is a great release from this four piece and was well
worth the wait. I really life the use of three different singers on the album,
it keeps it feeling fresh and when all three do sing together them complement each
other well. It’s everything you could
want in a punk rock album, it’s a little rough around the edges but packs
plenty of punch as well as a lot of heart. If singing along to great songs is
your cup of tea this Brief Interviews With Hideous Men is for you.
Most regular readers of this blog will have realised I am a
big fan of Australia’s The Smith Street Band. Two of my favourite things about
The Smith Street Band are front man Wil Wagner’s voice and his lyrics. Because
of this I was delighted to discover that Mr Wagner has also released some solo
albums along with the full band ones. Here’s my review of 2013’s Laika.
The opening riff’s of the first song Eviction Notice give a
clear indication that this album will have a raw and bare bones feeling to it. In
Eviction Notice he sings about not “selling out” to the man even when you feel
like you are being left behind by your friends. This up-tempo song is followed
by the slow burning How They Made Us. Wagner’s voice conveys real emotion as he
sings about growing up whilst on the road.
On the third song Laika Wagner takes a different approach to
song writing. Unlike the other songs he sings from perspective of Laika (AKA
Little Curly) who was the first dog to be sent into space. This song shows
Wagner at his heartfelt best as he sings about his last few days. He manages to
pull at the listeners heart strings with lyrics such as “and I know that I will
die, but that is fine, cause in some way I am helping mankind, and I don’t
understand, cause I’m not as smart as them, but even a parachute would have
shown that they cared.”
More Like Signals Midbest picks the tempo back up and for
the first time on the record Wagner is joined by some percussion and harmonies.
It’s a song about being away on tour and remembering all the good and bad
things about being at home. Like every song on the Laika Wagner is sings with
incredible honesty, the lyric “and I don’t respect myself so why should anyone
else, thank what I’m doing is right?” is about having doubts about living life
on tour and wondering if his loved ones agree with how he lives.
There is more heart on your sleeve song writing in the track
Malt Memories. This song about two people growing apart and struggling to deal
with it will resonate with everyone, it really does with me. This song is
followed by Fuck You Jackie. Here Wil Wagner talks about trying to impress a
girl because you are scared to be alone. I’m Not Going To Lie To You is a
faster song about being completely honest with someone and talking about all of
the things that go inside your head.
The final song on Laika is called Song About Why I Suck and
is my favourite on the album. It’s another brutally honest song about struggling
to be the person you think you should be. The final verse is my favourite part
of the whole album. With added harmonica the song gains some urgency and I
imagine live it gets a great sing along reaction. In particular the lyrics “and
I sing these songs out of fury and fear, and I sing these songs because without
them, I wouldn’t be here” really hit home with me. I, like many other people go
to music as an escape from the bad parts of life. Screaming at the top of my
voice to a song I love helps me to get away from all of life’s problems.
Laika is a very personal, intimate record that shows of Wil
Wagner’s amazing song writing abilities. It’s a brilliantly simple album with
the emphasis on lyrics rather than amazing musical expertise. The lyrics are
very relatable and work well at hitting you emotionally as well as being very
sing-along-able. Wil Wagner is one of music best kept secrets and it’s criminal
that he and The Smith Street Band are not more widely known. I urge you to go
and listen to Laika now.
Dance Before You Sleep is the new album by Norwich folk punk
band Ducking Punches released on No Panic Records.
This album definitely swings more to the side of punk than
folk and is full of some fantastic sing along anthems. Opening track It’s Been
A Bad Few Weeks starts out with just Allen and his acoustic guitar before the
rest of the band slowly begin to accompany him on electric and bass guitars,
violin and drums. Bass player Sophie Porter also adds some great harmonies
throughout a melancholy song about struggling to cope with death. The theme of
death continues on the next song Cursed Luck. This is a fist in the air song
about living your life to the fullest before the end.
Song number three I Can’t See It Happening This Year is a
slightly more aggressive song about being down and out and not seeing any light
at the end of the tunnel. Dan Allen sums it up perfectly with the closing
sentiments of “I know you drove me insane, I swear I can’t take this pain, you
said things will get better, but I can’t see it happening this year.”
For me the standout song on Dance Before You Sleep is the
fourth track Big Brown Pills From Lynn. This is another sing song anthem about
living life to excessively and the effects it had. The song starts slow with
just vocals and electric guitar for the first and second verses briefly teasing
the full band coming in before getting to the extremely catchy chorus of “we
had all the attention, god damn in nearly killed us.” The gang vocals are in
full force on this song and sound great.
On track five Potions and Powders and track 9 Six Years Allen
strips it back to just acoustic guitar and some violin. Potions and Powders is
a break up song telling the story of how a girl tried to end her life after
splitting up with her boyfriend. Six Years is an emotional song about a friend
he lost.
Feels Like Home is the sixth track on the album and is the
most up-tempo song on it. Sergio Tauroza’s violin takes centre stage here is a
wonderful addition. The Art Of Falling Short and Why Can’t We Hold It Together
are two foot stompers that complete the album of nicely.
Despite the dark subject matter Dance Before You Sleep has
something for everyone. For the singer-songwriter fans there are nine
fantastically crafted songs with some touching and heartfelt lyrics. For the
punk rockers there is opportunity for screaming along and fist pumping a
plenty. I was lucky enough to see Ducking Punches in the tiny Brixton Windmill
pub earlier this year, I am pleased that I did because it won’t be long before
these guys and girl are playing in some much bigger venues.
Eat Defeat are a fast and fun skate punk band from
Yorkshire. In 2012 they released their fantastic debut album Challenges, which
includes the brilliant song Faithbreaker. I actually got mine for free because
I sent them a funny clip from Cheers on their Facebook page. On July 24th
the released a new EP titled It’s Always Sunny In Yorkshire, here’s what I
think of it.
The first thing I loved about the EP is the title, partly
because I love the sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia but also because it
gives a good indication of what to expect. It’s Always Sunny in Yorkshire is a
three song EP about being positive despite all of the bad things that happen in
your life.
The opening track Thundergun Express kicks off with a simple
guitar rife and some rapid fire drum blasts before lead singer Summers begins
to tell a story about struggling to fit in to the world but eventually learning
from this and finding your own place to call home. I like the lyrics “don’t let
this one horse town, break you and bring you down.” It’s a great line about
staying strong when everything around you is going against you.
Track two Luck Is For Losers is the stand out track out of
the three. The song is about not dwelling on bad times and staying strong
regardless. The chorus of “so shout it loud I won’t back down, when times are
tough and you feel you’re not good enough, just shout it out I won’t back down”
can serve as advice for anyone who is down on their luck and encourage them to
hang in there. Two thirds of the way into the song Eat Defeat break it down and
are joined by Barney Boom of Manchester punks Sonic Boom Six. He raps a verse
telling the listener to follow their own path and things will work out in the
end. Fantastic song.
The final track on the EP is named Survival Mode and is the
most aggressive sounding of the three. The main theme of the song is taking
control of your life and changing what you don’t like. There are some great harmonies
on this track with everyone getting involved in the singing. This song is the
perfect choice for ending the EP as it sums up its message perfectly. Don’t let
the bad times get to you, it could always be worse.
On stage in 1995 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones paid tribute to
The Toasters by stating that if it wasn’t for The Toasters they would not be
there. The Toasters were at the forefront of the third wave ska scene which
spawned such acts as Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, Less Than Jake and No Doubt
amongst others. Still going strong after thirty years of touring they were
tonight playing The Borderline in London.
The Toasters only had one support act tonight; this was
London ska band The Kubricks. I knew absolutely nothing about this band before
I walked down The Borderline’s steps but my gosh I was in for a treat. I
absolutely loved The Kubricks. They played a style of ska clearly influenced by
legendary bands like The Specials and Madness but there was a fresh modern
twist on it. As you would expect from a ska band the music was fun and bouncy
and the band really seemed to enjoy playing their songs, which made the crowd
react positively. They threw in two crowd pleasing covers of Outkasts Hey Yah
and Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance as well as some brilliant original songs of their
own, my favourite being Skallywags. The Kubricks are definitely a band on the
rise; see them as soon as you can.
After The Kubricks finished their highly entertaining set it
was time for New York’s via seemingly everywhere else The Toasters. There
aren’t many gigs I go to these days where I feel like a youngster but this was
one of them, it dawned on me that The Toasters are actually older than I am
having formed in 1981. It’s crazy to me that they have been going for so long
because the music doesn't sound dated in the slightest.
Opening with the song
Dog Eat Dog from the 2002 album Enemy of the System The Toasters had The
Borderline skanking almost immediately. Although the songs are not really known
amongst most pop music fans, to people who love ska music they are true
classics. Whether it’s the up-tempo Eat Side Beat or Don’t Let The Bastards
Grind You Down or the slower numbers like Run Rudy Run or Decision At Midnight
every song is loved and sung along to with a huge amount of joy and massive
smiles. Front man Robert “Bucket” Hingley looked as if he was having the best
time playing his songs and I have decided he may well be the coolest man on the
planet. Something I think makes a band fantastic live is when they can turn a
song you thought was okay to being brilliant when you hear it live. This
happened to me a lot at this gig, and I love The Toasters songs anyway but
hearing them played live was something else.
Here’s to hoping The Toasters can play for many more years
to come.
Now Listening to Express Yourself Clearly by Joey Terrifying
