Single Review: Who Killed Nancy Johnson? – Cops And Robbers EP

Who Killed Nancy Johnson? are a UK based high energy punk band whose influences include The Stooges, The Ruts, Buzzcocks, The Rezillos and Alkaline Trio. Until January 2015 the band was known simply as Nancy Johnson, they resurfaced from a lengthy hiatus last year with a new vocalist, James Bronson of legendary London rhythm and blues band The Bronsons, and fresh material, the band immediately headed into the studio and they have now issued their debut self released EP, Cops and Robbers, that is available from today, the 20th January 2017.

The EP kicks off with the title track, a wail of sirens precedes a solid guitar riff kicking the EP into life, this and the subsequent track, Terminal Love, are played at a relatively sedate pace, at least when compared to many of the releases I’ve heard this year, with more of a feel of the bands that preceded punk rock, however, the EP kicks into life like it’s been spiked with amphetamines on the infectious track Buzz (In Your Head), it ups the ante and features a hypnotic chorus that will be impossible to dislodge from your memory for weeks, for me this track was the highlight of the EP, this is no slander on the initial pair of tracks, or closing number Stay Out Late, but the frantic pace and insistent chorus raised it above the other tracks.

Who Killed Nancy Johnson? are another band that has emerged from the UK’s thriving grass roots punk scene, this is punk rock played with a melodic old school flourish, but crucially this is not a band that is stuck in the past, they are a band that embraces punks origins as well as influences from the last four decades. This is a solid debut that makes Who Killed Nancy Johnson? another band that I will hoping to catch live at some point this year, there are few bands that play punk rock with the original style and attitude of punks first wave fully intact, but don’t interpret this as meaning that they are in anyway an anachronism, you can also hear the influence of later bands in their sound, it is this combination of elements that contributes to Cops And Robbers being such an impressive debut.

The Cops And Robbers EP is available on CD at gigs, or as a download via a link on the bands website here