Manchester Punk Festival Releases 38th Compilation
Manchester Punk Festival have released the 38th volume of their compilation series ahead of this year’s festival. Manchester Punk Festival Vol. 38 is…
Off On The Charabanc - SBÄM Records
Seems like yesterday that I was typing up a review for the last album ‘Come And Have A Go If You Think You’re Rachmaninoff’, but actually it was just under a year ago (still not long I guess). I’ll have to admit that after that album, which was a full acoustic offering, I was that much in love with the stripped back sound, that to hear their songs or even new songs in full band mode, kind of has me in a little bit of a recoil position, how can they ever better what that album gave. Well here’s the thing, this album is a game of two halves (and no blood money involved either), so knowing this I was a very happy person even before I even hit play.
Part 1…. The full band songs, ‘Go Easy’ drops us perfectly into the reason this band were named one of the best bands in the world back in 1990 something by the wonderful NME (nothing’s come close to that mag since), proper sing-a-long punk music that’s from the streets and never forgets it. ‘Charabanc’ is up next, with a slightly heavier feel but still with that wonderful Snuff sense of punk blues that always reminds me of TV Smith. ‘Boost’ is the shortest song on the album and has a very modern hardcore feel to it, a bit like ‘Fireball’ they both might seem a little out of place, yet they both contribute to what you know and love about this band, never afraid to throw curve balls and use whatever works with the lyrical feel. The use of horns and keyboard with a Ska feel doesn’t go unnoticed in ‘Children Get Ready’ which is a great end track to part 1, a song of fun and unity.
Part 2…. This has a few of the first half songs like ‘Charabanc’, ‘Go Easy’ and ‘Yellow Lights’ with that wonderful stripped back acoustic giving them a whole new meaning and sense of being, its hard for me to not say that I do love this band and full electric is just great, but they excel above and beyond in the lyrical and musical scale when the songs are played at there bare bones level, is this an age thing, maybe, yes we do mellow and come to realise that rebellion is just as potent when it considered rather than shouted. ‘Toxic’ has a particular resonance when it comes to living life that has railed against all that’s toxic in the world, this is especially relevant in the social media day and age, a kind of normalisation prevails when it comes to toxicity.
Is this a re-evaluation of life, or just a need to slow down and look back at what’s gone before and what’s still left to come, I’d say both, its an album that has so much of a life lived, a history and a future all wrapped up in songs that show just how great Snuff has been and still is!
The Charabanc is now in full procession.
Out on today via SBÄM Records
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