The legendary Killing Joke will celebrate their fortieth anniversary this year. As with most other things they’ve approached, the anniversary isn’t being dealt with in a half-hearted manner.
There are a run of live dates, but perhaps just as exciting is the planned release of a career spanning box set, ‘Laugh At Your Peril’, available in both LP and CD formats and containing a world’s worth of bonus tracks.
“If it’s too fast…you’re too slow!” proudly proclaims the blurb behind Rene SG’s 2018 EP. “Fast” isn’t exactly the word: these dutch punks give Zeke and Speadealer a run for their money by packing a whole album’s worth of tunes onto just seven inches of plastic.
Not all of the tunes are new at the time of release, however. ‘Fucko’ reissues the whole of RSG’s debut and throws in a few other tracks for good measure. That said, the bulk of the material will still be unfamiliar to those outside of the Netherlands, so any kind of reissue and re-promotion seems welcome.
Most people’s introduction to hardcore speedpunks Zeke was the ‘Super Speed Racing’ LP back in the mid 90s. It was an album that did exactly what it said on the tin: by packing in over twenty tracks in almost as many minutes, it wasn’t so much a long player as a sonic thrill ride set to shake teeth and bowels loose, all with a knowing grin. Zeke continued to bash out similar albums and sought after 7”s much to the delight of fans over the next decade, before bowing out with a final album ‘Til The Living End’ in 2004. A handful of retrospective tracks crawled out after that, but it seemed we’d heard the last of Zeke…but, to be fair, it’s impossible to keep up such a pace without reaching burnout. Thinking about it, it’s amazing they lasted as long as they did.
When people talk about US hardcore punk, they invariably talk about Black Flag, Agnostic Front, Minor Threat and the earliest days of Bad Religion.
Nevada’s 7Seconds – formed by brothers Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth – were an equally important component of the scene’s formation. Via albums like ‘The Crew’ (1984), ‘New Wind’ (1986) they influenced a generation of fledgling musicians. Whilst later albums took a more melodic route, the band never lost their knack for delivering a potent message.
With bands like No Fun At All and Millencolin helping to fly the flag and carry the banner, Sweden has provided plenty of pop punk protein since the 90s. The Hangups follow very much in the tradition of the classic Lookout! Records releases; in fact, this Malmo based trio sound like a product of a time machine experiment to bring back the best bits of Screeching Weasel and Parasites records for their debut EP.
The opening track on this self-titled disc wastes no time in flaunting their love of those particular bands. The whole number really shows a love for Dave Parasite’s melodic charm circa ‘Punch Lines’, while peppering each of the instrumental breaks with a lead guitar that would do Ben Weasel and the more approachable John Jughead proud. Digging a little deeper, obviously the vocal comes with a slight European accent which, much like Hateful Monday, provides some of the charm, but in terms of structure these guys aren’t merely just recycling Ramonescore by the (1-2-3-4) numbers. The chorus, in particular, is impressive showing a slight power pop tendency that might just about reel in a slightly broader audience. In short, if you like pop punk, you’ll love this track – it’s the perfect addition to your next digital mixtape or online playlist.
‘I Don’t Wanna Be With You’, on the other hand, is a straight up Ramones homage, just played more aggressively. In under two minutes, this shows that these Swedes are able to completely nail the style in hand; it also demonstrates their unnamed drummer really knows his way around his kit. The chorus is both sneering and insanely catchy; the lead guitar break casts an ear back to ‘My Brain Hurts’ era Weasel and the sheer energy alone is enough to make this enjoyable. Moving into something a little longer – though still shy of three minutes – ‘Alone’ mixes a punchier, more jagged rhythm with a hugely melodic vocal line. Having used a couple of numbers to warm up, it’s here The Hangups go for broke punctuating most lines with a hefty “whoah” or trusted “oh yeah!”. There are ghosts of so many classic Lookout! bands within the DNA and yet a combination of talent and boundless enthusiasm ensures this sounds anything but stale.
Last up, ‘It’s You’ is an eighty five second belter that is impossible to dislike – provided you’re punkily inclined, of course – and The Hangups take all of their previous traits and pummel them into something a touch more aggressive. While still very much of their own making – something recognisable through the accented voice – their love of pop punk again tips the hat to Screeching Weasel, but also harks back to the faster and more affronting tracks from the earlier part of No Fun At All’s catalogue (something probably ingrained due to geography). Although there’s not much time to sink your teeth in to this track – or indeed, the whole EP – there’s time enough to appreciate Hugo’s deep rattle of a bass and especially the way it locks in firmly with the work of the mystery snare basher.
Obviously, the vinyl version is the best format, but digital buyers get an extra track, ‘Not OK’. There’s little to be said, except that it ploughs a similar furrow to ‘I Don’t Wanna Be With You’ that brings a combination of speed and well worth having…
For fans of Ramonescore sounds, this is an EP that deserves to be in heavy rotation. Yes, it’s short – too short – but there’s a whole world of fun to be had listening and the band’s love for the style creeps through every note. In short, if you love Screeching Weasel, The Apers, Radio Buzzkills, Parasites and/or K7s, you’ll have a new favourite to add to your collection. Grab it as soon as possible.
March 2018