“Featuring Members of Gaggers, Ladykillers and Disco Lepers, this band from London is the perfect combination of ’77 UK Punk and the dark guitar/synthesizer Post Punk of nowadays. It’s like singer Marco says: “it’s a blend of post punk a la Wire, Joy Division mixed with some electro in the vein of the Units, Screamers, Vicious Visions and a dose of Scandinavian / Euro punk like Masshysteri, Tristess, Invasionen etc.””
“Miscalculations- S/T LP. Ambitious effort from these London pukes. MISCALCULATIONS bash out 12 snotty, bruising Punk Rock hits spat in yer face by a couplea fucks from THE GAGGERS. Top tier, rapid-fire, Snot Punk that’s got The Dickies, Buzzcocks and The Boys spastic, hyperactive charm smeared all over it – but with a very seething, morose, outlook that works well with the ferocious, poppy grit of the music. Jittery, razor-sharp Wire/Gang of Four/Wipers guitar tangents weave in and out of the songs that are all held together by snarling, bouncy First-Wave lunacy, bristling with fresh ideas and a poetic, melodic bite. Clever, creative song writing reigns supreme on this snearing, fuck-tastic ripper that’s one of the gnarliest examples of modern day Punk Rock done right. File under “Good Shit”.”
“Dead Cult may be the youngest band on the resuscitated All the Madmen Records, the anarcho-punk label founded by The Mob in 1978 and resuscitated in 2012 after a nearly 25 year hiatus. Dead Cult‘s 2-song “Ghosts Still Dance” 7″ is being released in June by All the Madmen — undoubtedly an honor for the younger Portland, OR based group.
And a great 7″ it is! It’s difficult to believe that it was over 2 years ago that I interviewed Dead Cult — which CVLT Nation carried here — after hearing their demos, which founding member James Barker smartly posted onto Youtube. One of the demos included a pretty great cover of The Mob’s “Witch Hunt,” as well as several other original tracks. This included the excellent “Progression of Fear.”
The first song on “Ghosts Still Dance” is the title song — a haunting, mid-tempo postpunker, musically reminiscent of “Juju”-era Siouxsie and the Banshees. There are a few aggressive moments in the song that would seem out of place in something “Juju” era Siouxsie, however — but it all serves to tie the song’s message about the destruction of indigenous peoples to the band’s roots in punk. Singer Tawni’s vocals are at once impassioned and determined, finely honed. What struck me immediately about the song was how much more “mature” Dead Cult sounded from their demos of over 2 years ago. The band has definitely developed and has caught onto a tone of quiet ferocity in their sound that serves them well.
The song on side b, “No Religion,” is a foot-tapping mid-tempo punk rocker squarely in the vein of more recent bands like Arctic Flowers, Moral Hex, Annex — or older bands like Lost Cherrees and The Dead. The linchpins to the sound are 80s UK peace punk and the early gothic rock that was clumsily called “positive punk” back in the early 80s by music journalists in England. In fact, bassist James described Dead Cult’s sound as “Anarcho Goth Rock.” Singer Tawni explained: “For me, it’s Anarcho that influences me beyond anything else. James has the ideas for the more Goth-influenced songs, and I’m thrilled with how they’ve turned out. For me personally, I’d have to say bands that have influenced me the most are The Mob, Omega Tribe, Icon A.D., Alternative, Anarka and Poppy, A-heads, Zounds, and Poly Styrene will always be the first woman in punk to BLOW my mind. Always an influence.”
The 4 piece, dark, guitar-driven sounds of Dead Cult do straddle the line between postpunk, purist punk, and gothic rock in exactly the same way that early 80s bands like Blood and Roses did. The result is an earnest and compelling hybrid of smart guitars, dance-friendly percussion and tempos, and intelligent lyrics/songwriting. “Ghosts Still Dance” is a fine addition to All the Madmen’s amazing roster of anarcho-punk releases, and it’s doubly good to see a young American band picking up the torch of the label’s legacy and sounding as perfectly as Dead Cult do on this release.
“Hey, Hardcore-Fans! Lose your minds! Here’s the real deal. Blotter is everything you want from a modern day hardcore punk band. Over the past few years, Austin, TX has seen a resurgence in young, quality punk bands. Blotter is one of the top tier groups of this new school of Texas hardcore and Under Armour ’77, their debut vinyl effort, stands as some of the best work this scene has produced. Primordial ooze USHC at its finest.
Blotter delivers just brutal, stomping stuff with a perfect, early 80s-sounding 8-track production. This five piece band rages through five songs in a little over five minutes. Fast precise hard hitting drums, loud distorted guitar that flirts with chaotic, noisy feedback, compliment dynamic and aggressive vocals that have just the right amount of snot and grit. Their sound touches on classic 80’s hardcore, whilst paying no tribute to any other HC band I’ve listened to in the last few years. This is unique, this is weird, fucked up and awesome! No filler on this EP – it’s all legit. No nonsense Hardcore in 2014, go and get your copy. Fuck.”
“Street Eaters may know a thing or two about crafting confrontational tunes, if their newest single “Reverse” is any indicator. The Berkeley-based duo, comprised of drummer Megan March and guitarist John No, recently shared the track off their sophomore full-length, Blood::Muscles::Bones out on Nervous Intent Records on June 17.
That said: “Reverse” may or may not be in the running for the best heavy, post-punk jam of the fast-approaching summer. The song is like a pile driver, with elements that come together to imfringe upon you for its roughly two minutes and thirty seconds of existence. If you like raw, sincere music with a sense of agency and urgency.”
SHOWS/TOUR DATES – streeteaters.com/track/shows-tours
STREET EATERS/AUTONOMY SPLIT 7″ (2013) – streeteaters.com/album/street-eaters-autonomy-split-7
SELF-TITLED EP (late 2012) – streeteaters.com/album/street-eaters
More detailed US/Canada/Europe tour dates coming soon…here are some cities:
6/14 Reno
6/15 SLC
6/16 Fort Collins
6/17 Omaha
6/18 Minneapolis
6/19 Milwaukee
6/20 Chicago
6/22 Spencer, Indiana
6/23 Cincinnati
6/24 Columbus
6/25 Nashville
6/26 Athens (GA)
6/27 Atlanta
6/28 Chattanooga
6/30 Knoxville
7/1 Athens (OH)
7/2 Pittsburg
7/3 Cleveland
7/4 Detroit
7/5 Toronto
7/6 Ottawa
7/7 Montreal
7/8 Boston
7/9 Worcester
7/10 Providence
7/11 Brooklyn
7/13 Long Island
7/14 New Brunswick (NJ)
7/15 Philadelphia
7/16 Baltimore
7/17 Washington DC
7/18 Raleigh
7/19 Asheville
7/20 Greenville (SC)
7/21 St. Augustine
7/22 Gainesville
7/24 Tallahassee
7/25 Pensacola
7/26 New Orleans
7/27 Jackson (MS)
7/28 Fort Worth
7/29 Houston
7/30 Austin
7/31 San Antonio
8/1 El Paso
8/2 Las Cruces
8/3 Albuquerque
8/4 Flagstaff
8/5 SoCal
8/6 SoCal
8/7 LA
8/8 Highland Park
streeteaters@gmail.com
“Remember 10-15 years ago when there were hardly any good English punk bands? Now there are so many great ones that even the “side projects” are freaking phenomenal. Seriously, the current crop of U.K. punk groups has to be the best in at least 20 years. And when members of The Blowouts, Johnny Throttle, and the Ten-O-Sevens start a band based on a mutual love for Slaughter and the Dogs and Radio Birdman, you just know it’s gonna be the balls. The Ricky C Quartet, formed just last year, have dropped their debut single. “Small Species”, another No Front Teeth/Rapid Pulse Records co-release, brings to mind the harder edge of classic Brit-punk infused with a heaping dose of Aussie adrenaline. In short, this band is 100 percent as advertised. Both tracks here deliver some snarling rock n’ roll with pissed-off lyrics and red-hot guitar leads, backed by bass lines that’ll get your booty bouncing. And let’s face it: nobody spews profanity with the panache of the English. A sing-along refrain of “Don’t fuck around me!”, so delightfully acrimonious here, wouldn’t sound nearly as cool if these guys were from, say, New Jersey. Both “Small Species” and “Tonight” imbue a profuse fuck-off sentiment with serious catchiness – a formula that can’t lose when it’s done well. All in all, this is an absolutely ripping debut record. Nothing fancy or unexpected here – just great punk played furiously and brilliantly. Where have all the boot boys gone?”
“The Gaggers got together through a staunch hatred of everything new and polished . From members of disco lepers,botox rats,black list brigade,the blowouts,the seminals,the troubadours,the hateful,needle automatics and the london guns.They play in your face, spit in there arse punk rock that’s out with the new and in with the old!. They don’t give a fuck so why should you. Gag on this,get off your computer and go put your fingers down someone’s throat!!!
Their aim was to re-ignite the energy, urgency and danger in real punk rock. The style is late’70’s rock ‘n’ roll influenced by the Jabbers, Dead Boys, Pagans,Heartbreakers and Eater with throat-slashing guitars and razor-sharp vocals. The Gaggers came to attack.”
“When Germans secretly tighten their bonds with Russians again, that can’t mean anything good for Europe and the rest of the world. The “Mind Trap” pact was signed in Berlin of 2013, behind the sealed bunker doors on Wilhelmstrasse. Luckily, we managed to sneak in a Polish mole; an inside conspirator, through whom we try to keep things in control. Europe may take another breath. Officials signing the new world order here, all awarded by Iron X’s for their merits: Field Marshal Eggert (divisions Highscore, Monster and Nothing) , General artillery Eggebrecht (divisions of The Tangled Lines, Government Flu, Vitamin X) , General infantry and propaganda minister Stronzik (divisions Highscore, Short Fuse) and the Kremlin representative tovarishch Generalissimus Chkhikvadze (division Rearrange). Mind Trap is a total vegan straight edge brigade that sound harder than a tiger tank engine, more frightening than a katyusha and will come over you faster and even more destructive than the blitzkrieg ever could. ” Life among liars and thieves” 7 “contains six blasts and it’s coming out in a cooperation between Refuse Records and SFR Records underground headquarters.”
