This time on the album review page you have the ace Septic and the Tanks, a 5 piece DIY, banjo punk band from Cov. two new Cherry Red Compilations, one of guitar bands after the advent of Punk and the other an ace collection of the North East’s Neat Records New Wave of British Heavy Metal single releases, lastly, the Goth of GVLLOW which just goes to show I can’t like everything.
Septic and the Tanks – Septic and the Tanks
Do not piss Septic and the Tanks off. In fact if you ever see Septic and the Tanks anywhere at all, the supermarket, the pub or the park.. just run. This sounds like excellent punk year zero riffs and the most pissed off lead singer ever. Seriously, she’s not just a little bit annoyed. She’s livid to the point of her face turning purple and screaming at you. Most things seem to be pretty bloody shite, your dog, the weather, getting up in the morning, love, significant others, spiders and pretty much everything else you can think of. Don’t get her started on the sodding cheeseboard! There’s a great feeling of nastiness and livid rage to this record, it’s not a relaxing listen, it’s a dance while shouting and punching your friends sort of listen.
NEW GUITARS IN TOWN – Power Pop 1978-1982
Cherry Red
Nostalgia is a funny thing, the rose tinted glasses I was looking through when I started to listen to this compilation cracked away from my eyes pretty quickly. It’s not that it’s a bad collection in any way, it’s just that guitar pop is a very broad spectrum to pick stuff from and for every diamond from the Jam there’s three flawed hunks of coal that I vaguely remember from the radio or top of the tops from when I was a kid. I won’t go through every track, my notes are not scintillating reading, but to hear songs by the Flys, Wreckless Eric and the Neon Hearts on the first CD just to name a couple is a treat.
The best thing to do is put it on while your mates are round and guess what the band looks like, Mod. Punk or Funk? There’s a million genres to choose from and I got fooled a good few times while listening. This is billed as a huge clump of guitar pop and as such does the job pretty well.
ALL SYSTEMS GO – The Neat Singles Volume 1
Cherry Red
Admission number one, I know a good few of these songs, when I was thirteen I discovered the world of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and in particular the joys of Saxon. As far as I was concerned if it was heavy it was ace, and I listened religiously to Tommy Vance on the Friday Rock Show, finger poised on the record button. That’s where I know these songs from, as well as seeing the bands included here live usually as support acts but at thirteen the paper round money doesn’t extend to buying all the records I wanted so this collection makes up for what I missed at the time.
Some of the bands and songs haven’t aged well, there are a few prog sounding tracks that I can live without and a couple of just mediocre metal anthems. But at their best, these tracks still kill. Venom, who’d have thought of the legacy those Geordie nutters would carve out for themselves and frankly, they are the standout band here. Although I’ll always have a soft spot for the athletic rock of Raven, a discovery one Friday night and they didn’t disappoint live.
For metalheads past and present, this is the bees knees, listen and realise just what Lars has been going on about for all these years.
GVLLOW – Twin Flames
Sumerian Records
Gvllow
It sounds like The Cure but with a stronger vocal which isn’t necessarily a good thing. Influenced by the giants of goth but the music doesn’t reflect that, at all. Deep and meaningful lyrics and a Robert Smith echo on the vocal doesn’t make this a groundbreaking goth album, I mean, it’s okay. I could have played it at my alternative disco night and people would have danced but that doesn’t mean I’d play it at home. It’s bombastic and emotional enough but it’s like goth with the curtains closed on a sunny day, not goth in the graveyard at midnight walking with Mr Eldritch. The best bits are the tape machine stopping noises at the ends of the songs. Goth-Lite for the kids. Nice Nosferatu tattoo though.
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Septic and the Tanks are on Facebook, Bandcamp & Instagram.
Cherry Red Records website is cherryred.co.uk, they are also on Facebook and Instagram.
GVLLOW is on Instagram and Facebook.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
