On a pair of earlier singles, US punkers Fire Sale demonstrated a perfect blend of power and melody. By channelling the skate punk aspects of early No Use For A Name and the melodic elements of The Ataris, their material shared an instantly classic sound which seemed tailor made for lovers of 90s punk. Their contributions to this split EP with the mighty Pulley – one of the 90s more underrated melodic punk acts – are very much in the same vein, but this only suggests that Fire Sale are the kind of band that genre fans can take to heart without fear of disappointment.
Tag Archives: skate punk
HIKE THE PEAK – Air EP
At the beginning of 2025, Hike The Peak – an ongoing, collaborative punk project helmed by Sheffield based musician Lee Byatt – released ‘Fire’, a two track offering that, musically, fell between the tougher end of Sum 41’s work and the more melodic elements of Strike Anywhere. Members of Aussie punk band Fake News and US punks Gametime proved to be useful musical allies, and although there were elements of the short listen that already felt familiar from a fan’s point of view, it more than suggested that Byatt would deliver even more great music going forward.
JUDO CHOP! – Cosmic EP
When a band advertises themselves as “throwing melodic punk, thrash metal, martial arts and Jimmy Barnes into the pit, with no rules, no ref and no care for the victor!”, you’ll get a sense of a band who value fun as much as musical prowess. Although it’s not entirely clear how one of Australia’s national heroes actually figures in Judo CHOP!’s work, the rest of those descriptors are a fairly good fit for five of the six tracks that make up their ‘Cosmic’ EP.
HIKE THE PEAK – Fire EP
In September 2024, Hike The Peak released their ‘Ether’ EP. It hit streaming services just a couple of months after ‘Only The True Fly Free’ (an album made up of sporadically released digital tracks), but it was obviously far more than just a couple of leftovers. At its best, the material delivered some precisely arranged punk; sounds that, with elements of skate and melodic hardcore thrown into the mix and a strong influence from Face To Face, had a very American influence. Thanks to the input of a variety of vocalists from around the globe, the material didn’t always carry the sound that some people might’ve expected to come from a DIY musician from the north of England, but Hike The Peak sounded all the better for that.
HIKE THE PEAK – Ether EP
Hike The Peak is a punk project helmed by Sheffield based musician Lee Byatt. In his own words, the band was launched “as a result of a mental health crisis during lockdown”, with Lee, wisely, realising he could use his musical talent and a revolving crew of friends to deliver a positive message. Following on from a selection of digital tracks – subsequently compiled as the ‘Only The True Fly Free’ album – this release couples another two absolute bangers in the skate punk mould, sharing a sound that’s guaranteed to take some listeners straight back to the late 90s.