about
My name is Syd and I write reviews and articles about punk bands I love and stuff that interests me about the scene. My favourite subgenre is UK82 but I love loads of others! I’ve been listening to punk since I was 14, so it’s been 13 years now and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s not a phase mom!!
I’ve written about a lot of punk bands ranging from 70s, UK82, crust/D-beat, hardcore punk, Oi! and US punk, so I’m hoping that there will be something on my blog for everyone. I’ve written a bit about new punk bands who are coming about, but I will be on the look out for new punk bands to cover, so I can do my bit to keep the scene going strong.
I always add a YouTube link to whatever tracks I’m talking about, so you can have a listen while you read. And if you’re new to punk, my aim is to give you a good place to start! Thanks for reading.
recent punk i'm into
THE FITS – LISTEN TO ME
I’ve been listening to punk for 15 years and have come across many diamonds in the rough, but rarely has a track struck me like this one. I only discovered Listen to Me by The Fits recently and it’s been stuck in my head for weeks, because there’s something special about how grim and light it sounds at the same time. The frankness of the quick chord changes and those Joy-Division style riffs sirening into the chorus keeps things interesting, and I will always adore a simple and strong bass climbing up and down. Mick Crudge’s (RIP) vocals are stand-out to me because they so succinctly represent what punk is all about. Ignore politics, ignore religion, I’ve heard what they say, they’re a bunch of hypocrites. Listen to me, I’ve got something to say! The reverb on the mic only makes the whole world feel emptier around what he’s telling you. It’s the perfect punk song.
latest punk article
I already know that the first line of an article is supposed to be catchy, intriguing, maybe shocking… but definitely in some way, is also supposed to make the reader feel ensured that the writer is informed. I’m going to do the opposite and tell you that I’m not a fucking punk scholar! All I have to hold on to is the hope that the perspective of a 20 year old – writing 42 years on from when the first punk single in the UK was released – is at least (vaguely) interesting and new. Though to help me out a bit, I’ll be including opinions and quotes from punk musicians who actually know what they’re talking about (all retrieved from interviews, documentaries and writings created by people much more talented and hard-working than me). Anyway, in order to give any kind of answer to the title question, I thought it’d be best to establish three things:
Is PUNK an ATTITUDE or a SOUND?
Does POLITICS make PUNK?
Did PUNK DIE?
Once we have a grip on a working, supported definition of punk and understand if or when it disappeared and in what circumstances, we can conclude whether it’s dead and gone, or been lying dormant to erupt again.
latest punk album review
What do you get when you combine two gigs, 44 units of alcohol, 2 burgers, 1 kebab and about 14 hours sleep? You got it… the last four days of my life! In celebration of surviving the week without developing scurvy and/or hepatitis/a lapse of sanity, I’m going to be reviewing one of the most ludicrously-good punk albums to date: the Dead Kennedys’ Plastic Surgery Disasters. It’s chaotic, it’s brimming with sound and pace and riffs writhing around in every direction… yet against all the odds, it still works. Sounds a bit like me on a Monday morning!
As inappropriate as the metaphor may be (considering Dead Kennedys’ previous release In God We Trust Inc. which sort of lambasted Christianity), I think Plastic Surgery Disasters’ Side A is a big fat holy DK bible full of punk truths. It sure sucks to be you if you’re a student, a mechanic, a scientist, hippie or a Yankee with a giant caravan, because Jello Biafra fits a lot of ‘fuck yous’ onto just 12 inches of plastic.
Allow me to set the scene. Government Flu‘s preamble, and the album’s introductory track, is a scary fairytale warped by steel-wool chaos. Advice From Christmas Past is the neat and sweet American Dream disfigured by social reality, and the Dead Kennedys will take the next forty minutes to tell you all about it. Government Flu lets us know they’re not hanging about when it launches off in every direction at once, practically foaming at the mouth. Ray’s bright and sinister riffs, Biafra’s drawls, and Peligro’s muscular drumming in Government Flu sets the tone for the rest of Side A, because it sure as fuck doesn’t get much slower…