Album Review: Benefit State – Disorganised

Manchester, UK’s unruly neighbour Salford has spawned Benefit State who have now self released their long awaited ten track debut album “Disorganised“, at present the album can be purchased on CD direct from Benefit State with release via digital service providers to follow at some point later this year. I’ve caught Benefit State several times across the North West of the UK in the pre-covid era, it’s a testament to their determination and spirit that each time our paths have crossed they sound sharper, heavier and more muscular, but the question is what impact has the spending the last ten months sat on the sidelines had upon Benefit State?

“Disorganised” collates all of Benefit State‘s Bandcamp releases and includes their bruising version of Ewan McColl‘s ‘Dirty Old Town‘, a track that was popularised by The Pogues but whose roots are firmly in the city of Salford, alongside the sole cover version are eight Benefit State originals, nine if you include both versions of ‘Parasite‘, that rage against the issues that blight their world. Benefit State do not deal in subtlety, their agenda is laid out in brutal fashion with a somewhat what unexpected studio veneer applied, at least when compared to the raw sound they deliver live. There are technical metallic influences laid over an old school UK82 approach, but this is not the only unexpected element to appear on the album, as the alternative mix of ‘Parasite‘ marries their sound to thumping dance beat.

From the outset it must be said that Benefit State are old school punk rock, from the opening rant of ‘Attention Seeker‘ to the final crashing chords of “Disorganised“, the UK82 scene is a major influence on their sound, but that’s not to say they are embedded almost forty years in the past, the punk influences are blended with elements of crossover and hardcore which should tell you this is a band that is a full blooded heavyweight. If you like your punk rock blue collar and confrontational then Benefit State may just be the band for you, coming from the streets of a working class city they are down to earth and completely unfiltered, and to me that’s about as punk rock as you can get.

You can stream selected tracks from “Disorganised” via Bandcamp here and purchase the CD direct from the band via Facebook