Tag Archives: Music

RICHARD HELL

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“I know it’s hard for you to face the fact Max Factor failed your face
And that your social life’s misshapen ‘cuz you feel so out of place.”

Many will argue what defines Punk and what is Punk. Is it still alive or did it die a quick but painful death? Everyone has their own take on it. Some think it is putting a safety pin through their ear but some may regard it being a state of mind. I’m with the latter. For me it is something that goes beyond three chords and ripped jeans. Music always goes beyond what is expected, and Punk did just that. It still does that.

I can’t remember how old I was but I’d imagine I was in my teens when I first heard of Richard Hell. I heard Marquee Moon by Television and was fully aware that I was listening to something I could never be turned off from. Of course I was born too late to experience the Punk movement when it started, but I realised quite quickly that this wasn’t something I was going to let go of nor was I going to take this music lightly. I delved into the bands that Richard Hell had been involved with, but more importantly I seemed to care about what he had to say rather than what band he was in.

Over the past few years I’ve spent a fair amount of time reading his poetry, his reviews, his essays, his thoughts, his autobiography- really anything he wrote, I would track down and read religiously. The only person I’ve had this urge to really indulge in all they do is Patti Smith. For me, they are people with great minds who make you think. I’ll take someone who makes me question everything and everyone over someone who doesn’t, easily. I’m currently nearing the end of Massive Pissed Love, it’s a collection of his work from 2000-2014. I find everything he writes to be utterly captivating and it sets my mind off. He talks about topics most would shy away from and he’s not afraid to voice his opinion. From his thoughts on art to sex, he makes you think. What most would shun as a “taboo” he just gives it to you without a second thought. That is Punk.

The best way to learn anything is to experience it, but I still regard Patti Smith, Morrissey and Joey Ramone as the best teachers I ever had. They held my attention more than any teacher ever could. Richard Hell is up there too. There have been a handful of writers that really got me into poetry and lured me into always having a notebook with me in case I felt the need to unleash pathetic words onto a page. Words no one will ever see. What Richard Hell taught me was to really go from the heart and not be too cautious with where it takes me. Having a careful tongue isn’t fun. It’s alright to cross the line at times and it’s a fucking great thing to question everything around you.

Richard Hell was (and probably still is) my vision of a rebel. The way he was on stage, his words, his look- everything about him oozed something different to everyone else. You couldn’t help but really fall in love with him. I’ve read his autobiography a few times, and with each read I find something new to love and admire about him. In the 80s he pretty much stopped making music and focused on his writing. Sure I’d love a new record by Richard but he writes so beautifully that it doesn’t seem to matter. The music he did made still sounds timeless and his words still resonate with you. He was part of the ULTIMATE super group- The Heartbreakers (featuring the greatest guitarist, Johnny Thunders) and on stage or off, he had this way of just getting under your skin in the best way imaginable.

I didn’t really go into this with any idea with what I wanted to get at, I guess I just wanted to unleash my respect for the guy somehow. I’ve spent years being in awe of his way with words. He doesn’t complicate things in order for you to see things how he does. He has this Rimbaud quality to his work that can be easy to miss but when you get right into the heart of it, you can pick up the influences. But then, you go a bit deeper and realise that there is nobody else quite like him. Sure you can pick up on who has possibly influenced him, but it slowly fades away because Richard Hell is something else. He is truly something else.

His song lyrics read like perfect poetry. The kind of poetry kids should be studying in schools to free and expand their mind. If I was an English teacher, I’d be fighting for the curriculum to have his work along with Patti Smith. Punk taught me nearly everything I know. Sure I don’t know much, but there’s always the time to learn more. I learnt very early on that I always felt like an outsider and where I was, wasn’t where I should be. I never felt part of anything, but I’ll take being part of the Blank Generation any day.

 

 

2:54- Scarlet.

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Sometimes I like to go back to a song I love, dissect it and fall back in love with it. Four years ago I first heard Scarlet by 2:54, and what I heard reinforced my love for them after hearing one of their early demos, On A Wire a year or so before. Some bands you just fall in love with on first listen and what happens afterwards needs no explanation. In this case, I feel the need to try explain what it is about Scarlet that resonated with me four years ago and how it still means something.

What drew me to 2:54 about 5 years ago was the music. It had tame hints of Noothgrush and Sleep. The darkness of Melvins and the hypnotic sounds of Siouxsie. Colette’s voice reminded me of hearing Patti Smith and Garbage for the first time. The sound coming out of Hannah’s guitar took me back to hearing Seventeen Seconds by The Cure many years ago. I was being thrown back but into something completely new, and it turns out that they would become more than just another band to me.

I found 2:54’s music by accident, like most bands I’ve come to love. Their debut record was released at a time in my life where everything was a bit bleak and I was unsure of my affections until it was too late. I found parts of me in their songs that I tried to explain but in the end, I lost. What I lost was bigger than me, and there’s a wealth of blame on my shoulders that for some reason, keeps me going. Our fuck ups makes us human. Easy Undercover had a few lines that hit me in the face, sometimes a song acts as a mirror and that’s what happened. It was pointed out to me, and when I hear “If you go, you’ll never know” I am right back there. I no longer mind because music is greater than an emotion.

Scarlet was their first big song, and the video emulated everything I loved about A Forest by The Cure. The video has this gorgeous yet haunting feel to it. You felt like you had entered somewhere you probably shouldn’t and the song made you feel as if you had fallen for someone who was bad for you, but you went along with it any way. I can relate to being the bad one, or at least I used to. We all have it in us, and sometimes it slips out. Good can overrule though, if you let it. With this song you feel as if, and stay with me on this, that it isn’t really a song at all. I know most songs do tell a story and the like, but Colette (I’m assuming she did the lyrics) has created a world in this song. A world that makes you feel as if you’ve stepped into the depths of the underworld and partaking in some kind of forbidden love/lust affair. Without sounding like a right dick, it does have a real Goth feeling about it. I mean in the true meaning of the world- not wearing black clothes reciting dark poetry to waken the mind. Maybe it’s just me but this song takes me to a place and not a person. The images in my mind are the Gothic buildings that are found in Brussels etc. Cold but inviting buildings that tower over us. As we step in, this forbidden love(r) greats us.

I could be massively wrong with how I’m interpreting the song, but I get the same images and feelings constantly. You find this person who gets into your veins and bones. They bring you to life, but you’re fully aware of the bad. You want the bad and torment. Or maybe you want to be the tormentor bringing this feeling. Try both and make up your mind. Neither make you bad. As you swirl, dive and float in this underworld that this song creates in your mind you can’t help but let it fully take you over. In some respects, the whole record makes you feel like this. Scarlet was the song that turned a lot on to 2:54 and really- there couldn’t have been a better choice. Each song on their first record seems to float around it. You listen to any song after Scarlet and it all fits perfectly.

I’ve only seen them perform Scarlet live a few times, and my memory is taking me back to Manchester earlier this year. At the end of the song the band went into this instrumental that just blew my mind. It was like when Warpaint really let go to Elephants and everyone goes bananas. It was such a highlight for me because it showed just how vital each member of 2:54 are. At this point, words weren’t needed. The thrashing of instruments fully showcased how brilliant they are. Of course I would happily go to every show they ever do (money isn’t my friend) just to experience this moment on a loop and to see how others react to it. It’s a real feel good experience that just leaves you wishing you could do that.

Back slightly to what I said about the song seeming like a story. It reads like a poem. The kind of poem you can pick apart and use lines to express any lustful feeling. It has innocence to it, but the darker side of it is what should lure you in. The words are made up of curious phrases and I think that’s what set my mind off when I first heard the song. It’s a grand sounding song. Everything fits perfectly with the lyrics, and the video really does add to the mood of the song. Whether you watch the video, see it live or listen to it, there are so many elements to this song that can move you. The song is perfect to listen to in the cold weather whilst going for a walk with a threatening grey sky above you. The inevitable downpour doesn’t phase you, you’re too busy getting lost in what you can hear.

If a song can do this much in such a short amount of time, I’m pretty sure that when I go back and listen to it in 20 years or so I’ll still get the same feelings and images. There’s much more I could say about this song but I am now risking sounding like a total loon by going on about it as much as this. I guess, in short, I just really adore this song.

1995.

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The thing with music is that it can launch you right back to a place that you either want to forget or stay. You’ll never win. I’m not one for using this as a means to express private feelings, as that is what they are, I’ll turn this around as an appreciation of 1995 rather than me being confused to fuck as to how I’m meant to feel today as it is 20 years since my dad died. I didn’t have any relationship really with him, but you don’t need to know and I don’t need to spill. As I’ve gone through and found some real delights that came out in 1995. I think most of it was just pure pop toss, but let’s be honest- there’s nothing better than 90s Mariah Carey. I realised also, that my love for Garbage has been alive and well for 20 years so you know, 1995 wasn’t totally shit. I won’t really write about the songs, I think the ones I’ve chosen speak for themselves.

So here you are, my 10 favourite songs from 1995:

I am fully aware that there are some wonderful dance/pop songs I have missed. Including Rhythm Of The Night..I know. I know.

PLUTONIUM BABY.

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What you must realise that London is not the world nor is it home to all the best music. Sometimes we are tricked to believe such things, but it’s not always the case. Italy is the home to one of the most rowdy bands around, and they tower over a lot who have this kind of sound.

Plutonium Baby come from the mean streets of Rome. Their music is the soundtrack to prowling the streets out of boredom and the desire to stir up some trouble. Not always a bad thing. Italy isn’t all about Lit Fiba. Oh no! Have you heard of Modern Blossom? They’re a fine Italian band which I have written about, and Plutonium Baby are equally great.

Obviously being half Italian, I am going to have a biased opinion. But truth be told, if Plutonium Baby were from the streets of Swansea I’d still love them. The love is only greater because they’re Italian, but it’s alright. We’re not hurting anyone here.

Their songs are party anthems for the hopeless and daydreamers. The ones who gaze out of the window knowing that there is something better, and cling onto a little bit of hope that they will some day experience it.  I’m not a huge fan of synths, but these guys use them well. They don’t use it to compensate for anything. It sounds just right, it works perfectly. It adds a little bit of eeriness to the sound. Without them they easily could have sounded just like any other band. With them, they sound brilliantly creepy and cause the body to jolt in a different fashion.

I don’t know how long they’ve been going for, but they sound like they’ve been going for decades. It’s a very established sound and one you can tell they’ve worked hard to find. They’re a band to waste your Summer to. They’ve got the wonder of The Drums and that wildness in the likes of Wavves. They’ve got bags of weirdness that I can’t get enough of. They could rip apart a pool party and show the crowd how it’s done, no problem. The sheer boldness in their music is what lures you in. The vocals captivate you, and all you want to do is learn the words and scream along. That could be your task for the summer.

Their short and punchy tracks are perfect if like me, you’ve got a really shit attention span. My mind and eyes are forever wandering. Their songs don’t really stretch more than 2 and a half minutes, and they’re perfect Punk-esque anthems for the bored and for dreamers. There is something lustful about their music, a gorgeous innocence that most would overlook. Pay close attention, these guys know exactly how to get to the core of you.

If that however isn’t for you, then the music will just make you move. Supercycle is the one that’s going to get you up and smashing into things. You don’t need to be out of your mind to move like a feral beast to their songs. They enhance this desire to be free within you. They pull it all out, and by the end of it you’ll probably feel like you’ve had an outer body experience.

If you’re looking for a band to freak you out or to freak out to, then look no further than Roma’s finest; Plutonium Baby. Enter their weird, wired and wonderful world without thinking about the risks. Go head first. Go kicking and screaming. Go, go, go. But you won’t ever leave.

You can listen to/buy Welcome To The Weird World here: https://vidalocarecords.bandcamp.com/album/plutonium-baby-welcome-to-the-weird-world-lp-cd

NEW SWEARS.

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“I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself,  
Turn off my brain and put a cigarette in my mouth.”

There’s something addictive about bands who make you want to trash every room you walk in. The urgency to just destroy stuff upon hearing a song by New Swears is uncontrollable. I mean this is the best way imaginable. Sure half the time we listen to music that makes us want to gauge our eyes out, hack off our ears and run away. New Swears the opposite. They make you want to join their gang and make a lot of noise.

New Swears are a band that sound drunk. You can’t imagine going to their shows and standing like a frigid nun. You would move around intensely and you’d leave covered in bruises, blood, sweat and probably on a Thursday night, someone’s piss. The latter, I’d imagine, isn’t a selling point. But my point is that these guys sound beautifully out of control and they don’t care what you think. It’s part Britney melt-down mixed with some lo-fi grooves. It’s all you need and more.

Their music consists of underground party tunes or you know, you could just play them loudly on your own without anyone around. Both are acceptable. Of course the best way to experience how brilliant New Swears are would be to catch one of their shows.  New Swears make the kind of music to make you unleash all that tension inside you. It can be any kind you so desire, but they just pull it out of you almost as if they have healing powers. They probably do, so get in line.

New Swears have this intense sound which some may be (foolishly) intimidated by. The sheer loudness and destructive nature in their music is really what I love. I love that they are unapologetically daring with their sound; who else is doing this. By no means are they are hardcore tribe, they’ve got something more than that. They’re a band that I firmly believe MUST be seen live. I’m slowly going through their back catalogue, and I’ve found some inner peace with the song Candy Land. It’s one of their more toned down songs. I love the lyrics, and it would sound equally as great if the words were screamed instead of sung. They are just wonderfully talented guys who need to be heard loudly and constantly. Oh I have fallen in love.

There’s this passionate fury coming out of their music that makes you want to do what they do, and maybe louder. New Swears make you want to put on your favourite battered and ripped t-shirt and sail on into the night covered in questionable markings and smells. Some bands take themselves far too seriously and create music that is too hard to relate to. Then we have bands like New Swears who make sense of all those daily life annoyances. They sum it all up in a way that makes you feel alright with dissatisfaction at all around you. They make you feel slightly more comfortable in your own skin. They also make you want to raise your own kind of hell.

I have no idea what New Swears are up to, but you can listen to their music here:

https://newswears.bandcamp.com/

UV GLAZE.

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Living in a house which is detached from others is good for one thing- I can play my music loud without worrying if I’m disturbing anyone. However, I have moments where I can be considerate so I wouldn’t play it loud anyway. There are some bands that you play at a comfortable volume and there are bands that you play as loud as you can until your ears feel like they are bleeding and your body is pleading for you to turn it down. But the mind wins.

UV Glaze are obnoxiously loud. I won’t say who they are/are not for. Anyone with decent hearing should listen to these guys. Sure they aren’t to everyone’s taste, but personally I love them. If this is what Berlin is churning out, then someone please sort me out with a job over there (one day…and I’d probably sit in the Ramones museum all day talking to items of Joey’s wardrobe.) UV Glaze have this brutal and heavy sound that makes you conjure up equally sadistic notions, not to the point of danger. They just bring out the filth in us all. If we all unleashed it sometime, then maybe we’d be more laid-back and welcoming. They’re the kind of band that probably leave you bloodied and bruised after a live show. Sometimes you just need a band like this in your collection. In my case, I need it all the time.

I know nothing about this band. I don’t know their names or how long they’ve been going, so all I can tell you is how fucking brilliant they are. The singer sounds like he’s in constant pain when he sings. As if every word could be his last, they are delivered with such urgency and in a way that makes you imagine him singing them whilst wriggling on the floor in an uncomfortable manner trying to push the demons out. It’s as dark as The Birthday Party and as heavy as the likes of Sleep. It’s just a divine collision of noise and rage. There’s this beautiful angst in the music that makes you want to bin your mundane everyday life off and seek out what you’ve been told to leave alone.

This stuff is real nasty and grimy and is something you should play to shock someone. Just to get a reaction, then watch them slowly but surely embrace the band with you. Bands like this make music exciting. I don’t want to hear about how some good for nothing so and so broke your heart. Fuck that! I want the shit that matters, and what matters is found in UV Glaze.

UV Glaze take you off into this sinister world. They’re not holding your hand as they do so. Not at all. They don’t care if you follow them or not, but once you step into this mindfuck of a world you will never ever want to leave. Whatever you feel when you listen to them, just go with it. You don’t need mothering now. This band are here to kick you in places you’ve never been kicked before. They’ll wake you up with their demonic drums, their brutal guitars…everything. It will all make sense after one listen. After that, don’t look back on what you used to know. It’s all here, in UV Glaze.

You can stream some songs here: https://www.bandpage.com/UVGLAZE

And you can buy the music here: http://shop.bachelorrecords.com/index.php?route=product/product&manufacturer_id=11&product_id=1274

TERRA.

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Over a year ago I wrote about a band called Daydream Johnny, and from the ashes of that band a new one has risen. Terra are a three-piece (with an added member called Brayden for tours.) This band are pretty damn good and would put any Pitchfork hyped band to shame.

Terra are a solid Garage Rock kind of band with more weird and wonderful things thrown in. Their EP came out last month, and because I’m really useless at the moment- I’m going to write about it now.

The 4 track EP is probably about 10 minutes long. It consists of tunes to accompany a road trip (whether on your lonesome or with someone you can actually stand.) Their songs are like glorious punches to the face and belly. They smack you in the gut and cause this destructive urge to make you want to smash things, or the safer option- throw your body about. On record they sound perfect, and I reckon their live shows really prove what they can do and allow them to show off just how bloody great they are.

Terra have a comforting and dark sound. It’s in the vocals, the lyrics, the hypnotic guitars and brutal drums. It all comes together so well, and you can’t help but think you’ve just stumbled upon one of the best bands around. Like all great bands Terra make you want to find some like-minded people and make your own noise.

Later on this year Terra will be recording their debut full length record, and going by what they’ve created with their EP they will more than likely create nothing short of a strange masterpiece that you won’t be able to stop listening to.

For me, I think Forest Lawn is their best song on the EP. It’s the loudest and most ferocious on the EP. I love songs that are unapologetically brutal and would probably make others turn their noses up at. Who needs conventional and comfortable when you can have bands who actually something of worth to offer. This is the kind of music kids should be playing loud in their bedrooms wishing they could take over the world with their music. That’s a dream to cling to and pursue. Any other seems far too much like settling. Never settle and never assume you’re worth just a routine. Bands like Terra have something essentially Punk about them. They’ve got something, and I hope it sticks in their music because they’re a band we cannot lose or ignore. I have no idea if they’ll ever get to this side of the pond but they’ve just finished some shows in Canada, and hopefully made the right kind of noise.

You can listen to and buy the EP here: http://terramusic.bandcamp.com/ and it’s out now on Shake! Records.

PEACE AND LOVE BARBERSHOP MUHAMMAD ALI.

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There are many ridiculously good bands from Manchester. Bands that make you want to leave where you live in order to throw yourself into what Manchester has to offer. I’m sure other cities have a decent music scene, but there’s something about Manchester that makes it tower above the rest. Some London crowds are too precious to get murky with their sound, but us Northerners aren’t afraid in the slightest and it shows in so many bands.

Peace And Love Barbershop Muhammad Ali are a super group in every sense. From the merge of bands coming together to the fact that they’re bloody brilliant. Drums to send you off into a head spin, guitars that make you feel as if you’ve gone several rounds with Ali, keys to make you feel like you’ve dropped acid and bass to send you off into some kind of heavenly trance. Dreamers and body thrashers shall unite under the sounds of this phenomenal band. With the summer sun luring outside trying to tempt me out on my lunch break, I’ve decided to stay indoors and spend my time wisely by writing about YOUR new favourite band. They’re mine too, but I think that’s a given.

The rule of being in the band is simple and to the point: “The only rule for the band members is they must own at least one leather, any more is a bonus.” Get yourself a leather jacket (or maybe some chaps if you’re feeling liberated) and get yourself to one of their shows. They played London recently, well, Kingston. That’s the wrong side of the river for me (I’d need a holiday to recover from the journey) so I missed out. But you lucky sods in the North can see them real soon here:

7th June – Brudenell Social Club Leeds with The Bohicas
8th June – Soup Kitchen Manchester with The Bohicas
Their sound is that of a proper garage rock band who know exactly what they are doing and how they want to sound. It is loud in all the right places with beautiful smack in the face moments. They are for those who want their music to be a noisy, a bit fuzzy and unlike anything else you’ve heard before. When you listen to them, it’s like “Fuck….I’ve been waiting ages for a band like this!” Basically it’s like, going through a series of shite relationships and dates and finding someone who isn’t a total twat. It does happen!
Get your lugholes round these delights for now:
I’ve already made my mind up about my favourite record of the year, but when we get into EPs I always find there is more to offer. More bands seem to be going down this route and although it can be frustrating at times- PALBMA have got it right. 6 songs that whisk you off into a solid groove that although they leave you wanting more, you are still satisfied. You’re okay with waiting for me. I don’t know when the EP will be out, but it is by far one of the finest things I’ve heard all year. There’s nothing typical about their sound. They’re making noise for ruffians to go nuts to. Seriously, the EP is just a brief showcase into how brilliant they are.
If you’ve done your homework, you’ll know who’s in the band. If you’re lazy, then I’m not going to tell you. But basically, it is the finest Manchester based musicians coming together and creating this excellent dream band.
If you want to treat yourself, you can buy some music and a t-shirt here: http://palbma.bigcartel.com/
Play loud (Hollow Bones is the one to play extra loud.)

DEAD BOYS.

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I started to write this and managed to delete everything I had written. Maybe it was a sign. Or maybe I’m just clumsy with my fingers. Probably both. I’ll start it again. Unfortunately I have a really bad memory (sometimes it’s a good thing) so I can’t remember what I originally wrote. Hopefully I won’t mess up this time.

Punk is alive and well in certain bands. It’s alive in most of the bands I listen to, other bands have basically pissed all over what Punk is and created something truly horrendous called “Pop-Punk.” Awful. Really awful. Punk had this bite to it that made you listen. It was, in all its glory obnoxious and brutal. It was snotty and portrayed angst in a way that caused parents in the 70s to wash their kids ears out at bedtime religiously in the hopes they wouldn’t go to the “dark side.” Punk is the one kind of music that really made me pay attention fully to what I was listening to. I was aware there was a message coming through, and the message was my own to decipher. Punk was for those and is for those who aren’t happy with how things are. Those who are bored and tired of routine. Those who know there is something more and would rather kick the door down than knock politely.

Dead Boys were fronted by one of the greatest frontmen of all time, Stiv Bators. Stiv and wiry body leaped and flailed across the stage in a way that would leave you thinking his body could snap at any moment. He got his point across by being snotty on stage. A proper obnoxious brat who when you listen to him, made you as pissed off as him. What or who rattled your cage? Doesn’t even matter. All that matters is letting it out.

What I absolutely adore about Dead Boys was their ability to really capture the essence of Punk and make it so brutal to the point of being sinister. Some songs like Ain’t It Fun and All This And More have something really terrifying about them. Bands like the Ramones portrayed the frustrations of daily life better than most but Dead Boys took it some place dark. Dead Boys weren’t and aren’t for the faint hearted I guess. Thing is, I can’t stand loud people at all but I love loud music. I don’t like obnoxious and arrogant people, but I love music that has that about it. I don’t know why, but it’s just something that holds my attention longer than most. Dead Boys were as bold as they came. Stiv sometimes tearing up his stomach with a mic stand- he was as outrageous as Iggy. Except I don’t think Stiv ever covered himself in peanut butter. His wiry frame and distinctive voice made him and Dead Boys stand out amongst the Punk scene. I believe they are one of the most underrated bands of all time. Cheetah is one of the finest guitar players ever. Him and Johnny Thunders just made you wish you could make noise like that. Trashy, loud and so perfect. It made you want to play as loud as them and without a care in the world.

At best their songs were sordid, depraved and smutty. All the best songs are. They took you to a world where conventional means wouldn’t. They unleashed this world upon on you with their close to creepy songs. No other band could get away with it, no other band could do it like Dead Boys. There was something so special and rare about these guys. They went beyond being “just another Punk band.” They started something that is still in the belly, burning in some of the bands I listen to.

Known for their lewd live shows, no other band has come close to how they were on stage. They aren’t a band that you can say “oh they could have been great.” Shit. They INSTANTLY became great the second people started paying attention. In all their obnoxious glory, they were one of the best bands ever. Their unconventional and so far from romantic songs about girls were brilliant. I guess now “feminists” would be all whiny about how they objectify women or whatever. As a female, I don’t really care. I love the music and the content. It’s a different world to what I know and I love it. They take you to some underground and unsafe place covered in darkness. You can’t help but play it loud and try to move around like Stiv.

Sadly Stiv died in 1990 after being hit by a car. If he was still around know he probably would be teaching us all how its done still. Dead Boys may be no more, but what they did for Punk and many who were against “typical” will never be forgotten or undone. They were before my time, but when I listen to them I feel like I am in the moment from when it all began. Timeless, forever influential and nothing short of greatness.

Stay snotty!

CROCODILES-Boys.

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There are some bands that repeat themselves with every record they make. Their blandness is what some may be drawn to and keeps them “loyal” but there are some bands who not only exceed any expectations one may have of them, but they also manage to come out with something hugely different to what they’ve done before. There are a few bands I love that fall into this category, and they’re ones that I’ll continue to write about because it’s just bloody wonderful to hear what they’re going to do next.

12th May is the release date for my pals new record. Crocodiles are finally releasing their fifth record Boys. Everything I am going to write about this record is just my biased opinion, and if I were you I’d just buy the record and sack off anything I may say because it’ll just be an enthusiastic ramble. But if you’re into that kind of thing, let’s be friends and go into this together.

I did want to do this as a track-by-track review but I don’t really like doing them because it’s so structured, and I don’t like any form of organisation.

For me, the record sounds like it has stemmed from the roots of depravity in the back streets of New York in the 70s when Punk was slowly but surely getting some attention. In all the right places, Crocodiles have picked up on the smuttiness and wit in the likes of Transformer and Sally Can’t Dance. They’ve also got something Iggy Pop-esque flowing around Kool TV. Last year when they played Hackney Wonderland, I remember them performing some new tracks and Foolin’ Around was one that really stood out. The bassline is slick as the one on Groove Is In The Heart. This record is sordid and brilliant. If this record was a place, it would be a camp dive bar in the underbelly of Mexico city. It makes the uneasy feel alright in their skin. Crybaby Demon sounds like something that The Stone Roses could have easily put out. It’s got something really special about it that just cements the idea that Crocodiles are probably the best around.

There’s a song that I need to do a special mention on. Blue is probably the best song that they’ve done to date. Every record they’ve put out has one song on it that towers a little over the rest. It’s just over 3 and a half minutes long, but it feels like a lengthy and satisfying daydream. It’s the perfect song to drift away to as the sun sets, you just gaze into nothing in particular and Brandon’s hazy voice sends you on this gorgeous trip. Charlie enhances the dream with the whirling guitar sounds that flow in and out of your ears. It is my personal favourite from Boys, and easily in my top 3 songs by Crocodiles. I would happily write a massive essay on the song, and when you listen to it next month you’ll see exactly why. A gorgeous song that you just have to keep going back to. You zone out properly to this one.

Although the record was done in Mexico, it feels like something from Iggy, Bowie and Lou’s take on Berlin. It’s got that something about it that just feels really familiar and comforting, but then there are songs that just feel like something you’ve never experienced before. There are many bands that are doing weird and wonderful things, but Crocodiles take it some place else. More than anything, I wish these guys were credited more for their lyrics. Their lyrics are bouts of depraved prose and thoughts to expand the mind.

Boys consists of songs you would hear in an underground drag bar in the depths of New York, Mexico, London…anywhere and everywhere. They are songs to lure in a lover at 2am when everyone is being spilled out into the street or to just throw your limbs about to (go nuts to Foolin’ Around, Hard and Do The Void.)

Writing about a band like Crocodiles is easy because they make every release as interesting as the last. Each record feels like hearing them for the first time. The first time I heard their music was back in 2009. I moved back home after being dumped, wandered into HMV and saw the cover of Summer Of Hate staring at me. I didn’t know anything about them, but I picked it up along with Love Comes Close by Cold Cave. I turned one of the worst feelings possible into something I could handle. I found two bands who have since become the world to me. The thing about Crocodiles that I love the most is that they make me feel like I am anywhere but where I am. I don’t feel like I’m in 2015; I feel like I’m in the 70s watching Punk win over hearts and guiding those who are fed up. Crocs are a mix of all the stuff I love and things I’ve never heard before. They bring all these insane sounds together and make something that is worth treasuring.

I’ll say it’s their best record until number 6 comes out, you know how it is. If you’ve yet to experience the world of Crocs, then let Boys be the one that seduces you, let it be the one that you cheat on other bands with. And in time, it will go from being your bit on the side to the love of your life.

Crocodiles start their US tour in 3 days time, and will be coming over to Europe in June. Personally, I’m massively excited to see them in Manchester as part of the Manchester Psych Fest along with July (this is fucking HUGE.) I’ve always wanted to see them in Manchester, and with July also?! Oh man who needs Christmas!

Boys is out via Zoo Music on the 12th May and is produced by the incredible Martin Thulin. And yes, it is my record of the year.