Album Review: The Scavengers – Rights Of Salvage

Brighton’s The Scavengers, the band fronted by ex-Crazyhead, Swamp Delta and occasional Gaye Bykers On Acid vocalist Ian ‘Delta’ Anderson, were originally formed in 2016 by ex-Shooter Martin Scavenger, Anderson, now known as Ian Scavenger, was recruited when Shooter were supporting the UK Subs and Anderson was asked to sing a few songs with them… and he’s stayed with them ever since. The Scavengers originally only performed covers from the likes of The Stooges and Velvet Underground and the sixties garage songs that populated the Pebbles and Rubble compilations, but with “Rights Of Salvage” they have moved away from their roots with an album of original material that come’s straight at you via the dirtiest garage in Detroit.

With their roots unapologetically in the garage punk of the sixties and ‘grebo’ scene of the eighties, a tag created by the UK music press in the eighties that lumped a whole bunch of random bands together who didn’t fit into convenient pigeonholes, you’d be forgiven for making assumptions about how The Scavengers might sound, there are no apologies necessary as you’re probably not far off, this is old school garage rock played by people who have a deep love for the garage punk and blues of the mid to late sixties. Fans of Crazyhead, and especially Swamp Delta, will not be disappointed by The Scavengers blend of blues and garage punk, but this is not just a rehash of The Scavengers frontman’s former bands, this has an authentic reverb heavy raw primitive feel that lovers of the Pebbles and Rubble compilations will adore.

There a few familiar nuggets buried amongst the self penned material on “Rights Of Salvage“, Swamp Delta‘s ‘Talking To The Girls (On Street 51)‘ get’s stripped down to it’s raw garage roots whilst the UK Subs ‘CID‘ gets taken back in time to turn it into a garage stomper in tribute to the band’s origins. The Scavengers are well named, as is the album, as this is a band that is picking through the remains of the sixties garage scene and selecting the tastiest morsels, “Rights Of Salvage” won’t introduce you to anything new, but if you love the original garage punk scene then this an album that will scratch your itch.

You can pre-order “Rights Of Salvage” on CD via Flicknife Records here and digitally here