Album Review: Johnny Moped – Lurrigate Your Mind

Before we start let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way, I have no idea what the album title means either, I’m unfamiliar with Lurrigating in any context, let alone doing it to someone’s mind, the answer I suspect lies somewhere in Johnny Moped‘s fevered imagination. For those unfamiliar with Johnny Moped they have sporadically existed on the periphery of the UK scene since 1976, occupying the void where pub rock ended and punk rock began. The band still contains two original members, Johnny Moped and Slimy Toad, who have been joined by long time members, Jacko Pistorious and Rock N Roll Robot, and new drummer Marty Love for the new album, Lurrigate Your Mind. The band’s latest release also features a guest appearance from The Damned‘s Captain Sensible, a longtime friend, former member, fellow eccentric and ever present champion of the band, and the production skills of Dick Crippen, former member of the unhinged rock ‘n roll outfit Tenpole Tudor and the wrecking crew that was King Kurt.

The sprawling and eccentric fourteen track album channels old punk school punk and pub rock, but what strikes you about this album, especially when compared to many of their contemporaries, is the energy level that is present, no one who’s been around as long as Johnny Moped has the right to sound this energised. Long term fans of Johnny Moped won’t be surprised by Lurrigate Your Mind‘s raw rough charms, although I doubt they’ll expect the eccentric and incongruous track Little Shop, but for those who are becoming jaded about the later releases by many of punks old guard Johnny Moped‘s latest release will restore your faith. The old dog might not be learning new tricks but after 43 years, that’s 301 in dog years, it’s impressive that not only do they still deliver, they can still surprise you. I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan of the early recordings by Johnny Moped that I encountered on assorted budget punk compilations but with Lurrigate Your Mind they’ve changed my mind, and I suspect I won’t be the only one.

You can pre-order Lurrigate Your Mind via Damaged Goods Records here