The Bruce Lee Band is the occasional vehicle for stalwart Skanking Pickle all-round-nice-guy skapunk-legend Mike Park. Spanning a whole range of sounds and styles at a breathtaking pace, there’s a lot to like here. Not to mention some gorgeous keys and a pinch of trumpeting to really ice the cake.
Initiation Rites, immediately, the moment it opens with “No Conspiracy“, is very, very Slackers. I think this is mostly due to Tim’s vocals having a Vic-Ruggerio-like quality, although there’s definitely a little bit more punch to the underbelly in the rest of the band’s attack.
“The Ballad of Jenny Horne” makes me think of a world where Murder By Death carried on with their misery-laced thematic-story telling but also listened to far too much World Inferno Friendship Society. The EP ebbs and flows, with some very catchy musicality. All whilst still telling a story? Fantastic.
I was immediately a little bit hot and bothered when I heard that Call Me Malcolm were bringing out a new album. They are definitely one of my favourite bands in the scene, not just for their delicious music; nor their madcap sense of fun – above all else, CMM stand out for their acknowledgement of having inadequately calibrated brains. Mental health was the focus in their last album, and its front-and-centre in Me, Myself and Something Else.
When a band calls themselves The LarryFish Experiment, you know they are deadly serious about the artistry of their work. TLFE absolutely deliver on that deadly sincere approach in their album Better Late Than Never. By which I mean its filled, to the brim, with lovely shambolic madness.
The LarryFish Experiment are a Bristol based threepiece, playing what I would probably refer to as “skanking-obsessed pub-punk”. Its rough and ready, no doubt, but its silly and fun.
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending the 1 year birthday of Side Mission Records. They celebrated in style at Liverpool’s premier veggie pizza/rock venue The Outpost. Pizza, punk and a pop up record store? That’s how life should be.
For this gig, Tim kindly decided to be flyer buddies with us here at WSP (proof on the right), so I wanted to write a few words about the show.
It’s just a quick one though, because, you know, life… Overall, it was a very enjoyable night – with some surprisingly great pizza from the Old Abbey Taphouse too, so check that out if you are ever in the area.
For the second of my weekend double-gig-athon (read the review of the first one here), I was back in Manchester once more, this time with tingling anticipation bubbling up inside me. After some appropriately spicy chips, myself and Josh found ourselves under the railway arches of Gorilla, ready for an evening of offbeat fun. Bedouin Soundclash
This might be a short one – brilliantly, I got to go to two gigs this weekend! – but Saturday night I was invited by my mate Josh to see the band Gloryhammer…
Now, I’d never heard of them before he asked, but over the last couple of months I’ve listened to their brilliant-if-odd mix of symphonic theatrical space metal with a rise sense of anticipation. With songs like “Questlords Of Inverness, Ride To The Galactic Fortress!“, and raging, hypermelodic guitar solos, you know you’re in for a treat. I was fairly sure I’d end up with neckache from too much head-banging, after many years without going to a proper Metal show.
I’ve been in love with Bedouin Soundclash since around 2004. Back then, I was in the habit of rolling into All Ages Records and asking Nick to recommend some new ska. He handed me “Sounding a Mosaic“, and said “You’ll love this one”.
Lead Shot Hazard aren’t from Warrington. I wish they were, but there you go – although, to be fair “West London” sounds a bit like “Warrington” if you say it fast enough… They are, however, on the entirely brilliant Warrington Ska Punk compilation (get yours for just £4 in our store!).
