Single Review: Staggs – 2.4

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Staggs

2.4 - German Shepherd Records

2.4 is Staggs seventh release for German Shepherd Records, this time the eclectic duo that make up Staggs, Michael Scott and Paul Ridley, are joined by Kirsty Chaos, vocals, and Gary Linsley, Saxophone, on a release that marks a distinct shift away their last release, the Adult Loonies single that saw a return to their punk roots, as 2.4 sees a return to the more familiar electronica of their previous releases.
 
2.4 sees Staggs focusing their ire on two game shows that were a staple of UK television schedules in the 1970’s and 1980’s, The Generation Game and The Golden Shot, so whilst the music may have moved away their punk roots they have at least remained focused on part of the decade that spawned punk. The Degeneration Game is a slice of electronic anarcho funk that is enhanced by squalls of saxophone and samples from the now thankfully defunct game show, whilst the b-side, Bernie The Bolt, a reference that will be lost on anyone under the age of 50, resembles Chumbawumba making a bid for the Eurovision Song Contest.
 
This release sees the duo returning to the more familiar anarchic electronica of the majority of their releases, whilst personally I preferred the style employed on their last EP you can’t fault Staggs for keeping us guessing with where they’re going to head next. Staggs remain an unpredictable duo whose origins lie in punk, the due were both in the anarcho punk band Reality Control, and although it is a shift away from their origins 2.4 is a welcome addition to their steadily growing back catalogue of idiosyncratic singles.
 
2.4 can be downloaded from German Shepherd Records Bandcamp here