Sunday, December 9, 2018

BOOZE & GLORY - CHAPTER IV (2018)


Right fellas, I have to admit I've never been a big fan of B&G. Why? Not sure. But the songs I was hearing here and there never rose my interest and the videos in youtube didn't help either.... you know what I mean.

But then I heard a couple of tracks of this "Chapter IV" and you know, it sounded totally, utterly different. I mean, much better! So I gave it a chance and here are my findings:






1. DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS
My first thought was... Damm! This sounds bloody great! Undoubtedly who ever was recording at the studio know what is doing. They have done a class job here and everything sounds clear and sharp. 
And then the song... punk-rock, yes, but with a celtic / folk scent. If this track was signed by The Dropkick Murphys or The Flogging Molly, it would be streaming in every Radio Station. It is, simply, a brilliant great track ⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. NO RULES
Here I started loving the the sound of the bass. This guy is class. The song is more classic punk, even in the way that the second singer does the job. Well structured and epic final part 

3 THE TIME IS NOW
Again a bass-drums intro, with a melodic guitar-riff joining later on. Quieter track, more in line with the style I remembered from this band. Very interesting change in the middle of the song but a bit too melodic for my taste. 

4 LIFE'S A GAMBLE
And back to quicker pace and punk-rock style from our friend the "Singer No.2". This is like watching the Mccartney-Lennon duel in the Beatles... regretfully the verse and the guitar riff of this song are somehow annoying and fail, which is a shame. 

5 SIMPLE
Bass-drums intro with bare vocal on top has always worked and sounds great.  The guitar strongly joins later with smart riffs and the verse is just an anthem. Bloody brilliant. 

6 BACK ON TRACK
Not sure about this one... the first part has again a folkish touch, but then the verse reminds me of a child song or a terrace chant... the weakest one so far. 

7 CARRY ONE
Guitar intro for a change and is a success! Another master class of MR.Bass with the two singers sharing this one and their friends fighting the back vocals corner. All works perfectly and look at me, I still carry on. 

8 BLOOD FROM A STONE
As the first song, this has a clear folk influence. I've read somewhere this may be the best song of Booze and Glory ever, although to me is not. It makes me think, not sure why, of a USA country song. Don't get me wrong. It is a really good song but... is this Oi!? No. Punk? No. Do I like it? Oh boy, yes  

9 FOOLS'S PARADISE
Pay attention to this one. Starts kind of slowl with a nice melodic rhythm and again I'm thinking of a cowboy. But then the verse is so catchy and powerful, you will find yourself singing this one in the shower one day. 

10 VIOLENCE AND FEAR
Well played anti-violence track.  Too quiet, too nice for me 

11 LAST JOURNEY
Very similar to the previous one. Slow song trying to deliver a message but fails to catch ones attention except for the final part of the song, which is totally different (and better) 

12 FOR THE BETTER TIMES
Is that a piano???Yes, this one has a piano. 

13 START BELIEVING
As a final track, another B&G song that starts quiet and kind of missing a sparkle, but gets much better at the end with a catchy verse 

In summary, no doubt this is the best album so far from B&G. Extremely advisable and unmissable. 
The best: How well they worked in all details, doting Is and crossing Ts. 
The worse: maybe, maybe, just maybe the album gets a bit boring at the end. No need to record every song you write.

You will love it if you like... Booze and Glory.

Followers in Spotify: 20,027 (December 18)

Saturday, November 17, 2018

YELLOW STITCHES - GOOD TIMES, VIOLENT CRIMES (2012)



Right, let's review this work coming straight from Manchester, New Hampshire, US.
I admit I've never heard these lads before, so let's have a look!



1.- Yellow Stitches
Blimey! The start is exactly identical to Chaos (4 Skins)...a tribute, maybe? Then changed to a decent powerful punk-rock song. You can tell this band is from US. The musicians sound skill-full and the singer surely drinks a bottle of bleach every morning. Skinhead, Working Class, Boots and Braces.... Not a single non-sense guitar's riff and straight to the point. Brillian start. ⭐⭐⭐

2.- Queen City Eve
Moving to more rock'n'rollish style but good quick tempo and kind of a party song. You can tell they love this theme as they recorded the video below. Love the axe throwing!. Special mention to the drums-bass connection who do it brilliant. ⭐⭐⭐



3.- Manchester Party
Mr. Bass keeps on shining with good lines on this third song, but regretfully I found the track a bit boring. Sounds like the early days of Greenday and their plastic punk. 

4.- Broken Bottles
Again, more punk-rock good enough to pass the time, but with nothing special to mention. ⭐⭐

5.- Wrong Place, Wrong Time
That's more like it. Back to more aggressive attitude. The verse is simple but effective as a punch in the nose. Reminded me of Blood for Blood for a second. Too many uoh oh at the end, but good. ⭐⭐⭐

6.- Tale of a Fat Fucking Retard
Bad. Starts with a quite annoying riff followed but quite a simplistic rock'n'roll song. Improves at the end, but nothing more than an easy-to-forget song ⭐⭐

7.- Our City
Maybe is me, but talking about summertime in the city doesn't seem a very interesting subject for a skinhead song. LoL. Anyway, I found similarities with Stars and Stripes here. Catchy. ⭐⭐

8.- Chopping Mall
More uoh oh ad nauseam. Total Humdrum! The worst so far.  

9.- No Face, No Case
Much better, despite the neverending uoh oh section of the song. The changes and rhythms are catchy and the "no face no case" now and then works very well. ⭐⭐⭐ 

10.- F.F.B
...Haven't we heard this one already? Copy-paste exercise with same structure as all the others. How these guys know which song are they playing after some drinks? A mistery! 

11.- Vacation
So tedious could kill a boot-boy of boredom. Another teenager monotonous song 

12.- Home
Not the best guitar riff to start and one of the chords sounds odd, but at least the verse is catchy and gives the album a decent ending ⭐⭐⭐

13 and so on: acoustic versions of previous tracks, not even bother to play them. Non-Sense!

Summary: Well played buy a bit tedious album from there lads, with each song being extremely similar to the previous one. 
You'd like it if...: You like Stars and Stripes
The best: Drums and Bass
The Worst: The uoh oh abuse is quite anal.

Followers 1,567 (November 2018) 


Friday, October 12, 2018

ARCH RIVALS ‎– A CONSTANT STATE OF WAR (2018)




Today will be listening to this band of Plymouth, UK. According to our friends of Spotify, their music is described as melodic Oi!/Street punk for everyone to sing along. 

So let's get started!


1. Nothing to Prove
Decent punk-rock track with powerful main and back vocals. I love the sound, although is not as typical Brit as other UK bands. You can easily follow the bass and Mr.Guitar clearly knows his job. Nothing special but is well played and makes you foot-tapping. ⭐⭐⭐
2. Black and Blue
We can hear the first Oi! Oi! Oi! of the album. The first part of the song and the bridge to part B follow the same good punk-rock style of the first track, but then the verse is rather simplistic and the whole song kind of fails. ⭐⭐
3. Arch Rivals
Slightly slower song and more melodic than the other two. Again, great voice and back vocals for this anthem. Tells you about the band itself and works very well. You will find yourself singing this song later on the day...Arch Rivals, street punk skinhead rock and roll. ⭐⭐
4. Invisible City
I never liked when street punk bands play with ska-ish rhythms. So I was tempted to skip this track after the first round of chords, but ended up liking it! It is a good song, specially thanks to the catchy verse. You can tell these chaps spend time in the rehearsal room! ⭐⭐
5. Here we Go Again
....and now time for rock and roll. Not my cup of tea, actually. Too easy and gets boring. ⭐⭐
6. One Day
By now I'm really enjoying how this band sounds and how good are the musicians - with a special remark for the bassist. Nevertheless, although i like most of the songs, I haven't found yet the bloody good song. ⭐⭐
7. A Constant State of War
Probably the best song and the one that gives the name to the LP. The riff of the guitar is sublime but then, how weird, the singer decided to ruin the song and he sounds out of tune during the verse. The bridge of the bassist is quite puerile as well. Shame, because it is a great song. ⭐⭐
8. Outlaws
Good chord rounds and top skill performances for this anthem, although a bit too slow to catch one's attention. ⭐⭐
9. The Struggle
The weird one. Lots of oooooh to start... really. Too many. The rest of the song has nothing special. I bet they don't play this live ⭐⭐
10. Wear Your Scars With Pride
Easier melody here and well structured, with a good change to the verse. Really works and you like it more, the more you listen to it. ⭐⭐ 
11. Ripped Jeans
The second track with ska-ish rhythms to start. This one doesn't develop, though. Is all about the lyrics and the music has been built around them without deeper work. ⭐⭐
12. Once a Soldier
The song starts with "We will fight on the beaches" from Winston Churchill, followed by an excellent soldier song. All the parts are in their place. It is nicely played and sang. Good back vocals. Good riff. ⭐⭐

Summary: It is so great to find bands like this with such skilled musicians. Arch Rivals sound solid and disciplined. Plenty of time in the studio is paying back and they just need a touch of magic to become greater and enter the legend hall. Not yet, but soon. Worth following! 

The Best: the bass
The worse: miss a muse 

Followers 637 (October 2018)

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

B SQUADRON - SONS OF TIGERS(2018)



This is truly like travelling in time back to the 80s! I was astonished by the raw, brutal, basic sound of this band from Leicester, lads. It was really like listening to one of those old tapes that made us love the sound of Oi! Music.... 4Skins, Combat84, Cockney Rejects, Last Resort.... you name it. B-Squadron sounds exactly like one of them... because is one of them!


1.- Intro
Not really a song. Just an intro to make clear where these fellas are from

2 .- B-Squadron
Not really a good song, but you will learn about the Baby Squad hooligan firm from Leicester. Too basic maybe. ⭐⭐

3.- Mongoose Patrol
Ladies and Gentleman: This is Oi! No metal, no R'n'R. Just Pure impact. Trav, the singer, is the best I've heard for long and I love the melodic riffs of Kev on this one. YES! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.- Keep the Cover
Keeps the same style as the former one, with simple nice riffs on top a solid bass base. Singer still amazing me but not a punchy verse and bad back-vocals. Cam'on guys, next time invite your mates to the studio to sing a long. ⭐⭐

5.- Scratchcard Nation
A bit too slow and again failing to find a catchy verse and horrible back chorus.
This one gets boring. Time for a beer. ⭐⭐

6.- Evil
I don't review covers as they are usually not better than the originals. But this one is not worse either! I bet you plenty of experts out there would think this is the original!

Could be Grade-B daddys ha ha
7.- Means of Escape
The art of 2 chords 2 fingers in its plenitude! Whit this singer they could do 100 anthems. The lyrics say it all. Sound of the streets! ⭐⭐⭐

8.- Saturdays Soldiers
Football, of course. This one is clearly Last Resort at its best. Not sure about the rock and rollish verse but aggrrrrrrro ⭐⭐⭐

9.- This is England
My favourite. Probably the fastest, punkiest, most basic of all but it is amazing. If you've never been in England, this summarises everything. Fuck, this should be the National Anthem. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

10.- Rapist
Cover of Combat 84. On this occasion not better than the original.

11.- Working Class Heroes
I thought it was Blitzkrieg Bop from the Ramones, but it is not. You will learn about the band here as it is a declaration of principles. Needs a bridge or Part B as gets too repetitive. ⭐⭐

12.- Day to Day
Again too repetitive and bad verse. Time for the second beer. 

13.- Sons of Tigers
Strange one. The tempo gets a bit slower and the music does not match with what they are trying to tell us about the Leicester regiment of the Tigers. Not catchy and lacks energy 

In Summary, worth following if you are a traditionalist and love the first wave of Oi! bands. If you find the new bands too metal or too complicated, this is a must. Probably better to see them live than listen to them at home.

The Best: The Singer. The Worst: The ikea sound of the drums. 

Followers: 316 (September 2018)



Friday, August 24, 2018

HAMMER AND THE NAILS - Hammer and the nails (2018)


Oi! So my friends from Boira Skins recently took this band to their city and asked me to write a review of their latest work.

This time the Bostonians released a 4 theme EP with a fantastic cover as you can appreciate above. 

1.- Icepicks Coda
I may be wrong, but the first thought that crossed my mind after a few seconds of listening to the first song, is that these lads have their own studio where they record their songs. Shame because it sounds a bit amateur specially in terms of volume and strength. This first track is part of a song of their 2012 work. Not sure what is it doing here... so let's skip to the second track

2.- Controlled Rebellion
Japanese Samurai skins alike, the band sounds quite disciplined and the main vocal is truly brutal. Shame that, as mentioned, the recording fades part of their energy away. The song is quite long and misses just a bit of speed. Just a bit. ⭐⭐

3.- Hook, Line and Sinker
This one is even tougher. The guitars sound like the boots of a million skinheads marching to conquer the world! Love it!!! I guess that the hammer and the nails spend lots of time in the rehearsal room and totally pays off. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.- Ought
I've listened this one four or five times and there is something that fails somewhere... not sure what it is...but the song becomes repetitive. I think is missing a good singable verse. ⭐⭐

Shame is already over! My advise for Mr. Hammer would be to get out of their basement and record their next work in a proper studio with a professional technician able to blow up our ears! Banzai!

The Best: The Drums
The Worse: The studio

Followers: 377 (August 2018)

Sunday, August 19, 2018

BROMURE : A LA ROQUETTE (2017)


Not sure how I got here, but I'm glad I did!

3 theme album of this band from Paris, which seems to be their only record. All songs are in French and... with a Saxophone.  Now, I don't know what do you think about it as I have myself mixed feelings. I hated it in Stage Bottels, but here I kind of like it!




1.- Catacombes
This one really got me straight away. It really pays tribute to the old French bands from the 80s. Strong and catchy if you don't mind the saxo, which I don't. Powerful back vocals and catchy round of chords. Love it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

2.- Mains dans les poches
Perfect complement of the previous song, with the same combination of saxo and rhythmic guitars. Solid, firm bass and aggressive vocals. The verse is a bit more melodic without falling into pop beats. What a little treasure. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.- A la roquette
The poorer brother of these three songs. Have no idea what the lyrics talk about but the song misses the fresh sounds of the other two and gets a bit too repetitive. ⭐⭐

In summary, a very nice surprise that makes my monthly payment to Spotify worth! 

The Best: Whoever writes the songs
The Worse: Only 3 songs 

Followers: 304 (August 2018)







Thursday, August 16, 2018

THE OLD FIRM CASUALS - THIS MEANS WAR (2014)

My dear Spotify suggests that I'd like this band founded in 2010, in San Francisco. Not sure why there is no biography yet on Spotify, but some of you will know that the man behind this band is Lars Frederiksen, the same chap who played at Rancid and LF & the Bastards. He has produced many other bands as well, so, he knows his shit. 

Let's see how it sounds




1.- Langskib
Just an Intro. Impossible not to think about the Dropkick Murphys, one of the band Lars has produced

2.- This Means War
Oh, man. This is just a great song. Lyrics, riffs, rhythm... and I love the 1 second micro-pauses now and then. So excellent! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.- Perry Boys
And this, lads, is what we call a Skinhead Anthem. This song will stay in your brain and blood forever. Perry Boys, here we stand or here we fall. I'm not going to give the full 5 stars because I'm not convinced about the keyboards at the end and the tempo seems to need a bit more speed. But maybe it's me being a pr*ck. 

4.- Election Day
Excellent punk-rock theme. A Lars special. Again everything stacks up. Perfect riff and brilliant main vocal. Catchy verse as well. I'm enjoying so much so far! 

5.- Off with Their Heads
Not sure so sure about this one. At the start sounds more like a heavy band from the 80s, more punk rock later, but a bit too slow. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either 

6.- Never Say Die
The football one. Very catchy verse and melodic riff. It is almost like if it was meant to be the soundtrack of a movie or a hooligan documentary. 

7.- Eternal City
And this is the ballade one. Time to go to the bar! 

8.- Needle on the Record
....rockabilly theme and lyrics... even with a piano on it! Rockers and rednecks may like it but this ain't for skinheads!! 

9.- Apocalypse Redux
Thanks God, back with the good punk-rock stuff. Screaming guitars and impacting bass-line. Gonna buy a T-shirt of this chaps. 

10.- Dear Leader
And even better. Violence! Finally! Dear leader is a bit darker, more aggro violent theme and I like it. Brilliant main and back vocals. 

11.- On Wolves of War
Master piece of how to combine tempo, structure and lyrics. Nothing else to add. 

12.- Victory
Slow one ideal to finish the concert when the lights go on. Doesn't achieve the legend level of Perry boys, though as the final part is just too commercial 

13.- Watford Tuxedo
Bizarre final track that doesn't make any sense. 

In Summary, a great album of very experienced musicians. Sounds very American, as well and doesn't achieve the level of Brutal Oi! we can find in some European or Japanese bands, but hey, it is absolutely brilliant.


The Best: The Band
The Worse: The bloody piano


baddies in the hood

Followers: 8,109 (July 2018)

THE TRADITIONALS - TRIED AND TRUE (2015)




Once reviewed The Old Firm Casuals, Spotify suggests I should hear another American band, The Traditionals. And yet, another artist who does not have images or a bio... Spotify, fix this!




1.- Get What You Deserve
A fast punk track showing good intentions and good musical skills but nothing special otherwise. ⭐⭐

2.- Not Another War
Much better second track with a good structure and catchy verse. The singer didn't convince me on the former song but does much better on this. Great finale. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.- Run this Place
Back to more fast punk rhythm and showing good skills again - the bass and the drums play well together- but misses a good verse ⭐⭐

4.- United
And gentlemen, this is a working class anthem. I can't help thinking that the singer should be more aggressive. He sounds like trying to be loud without being loud. BUT, this is a 5 star song. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

5.- Liberty
He sings bad on this one and ruins it despite the good guitar efforts with nice riffs. The final part is pretty dull. 

6.- Dog House
A piano? Really? A f*cking piano?? 

7.- Drunken Hooligan
Fast punk rock with good intentions and I guess a nice pogo if you see them live, but not the best verse and ends up being to repetitive 

8.- Cut you Down
Are they good musicians? yes. Do they play well? Yes. But still miss finding a nice round of chords. Love the guitars talking to each other in 1.25 but then the final part is too long 

9.- Daily Struggle
Another punk - pogo track with good back vocals and good riffs. Not my type though. 

10.- Outside Looking In
Another punk - pogo track with good back vocals and good riffs. Not my type though. ⭐⭐

11.- Media Overload
Was going to paste the same for third time, but this one is bad. Pretty bad song. 

12.- Until They Board the Doors
Finally a break with a good intro and calmer pace. Would be a great punk-rock track if the singer could sing, but he struggles with the high tones 

13.- Allentown
A bit of rock and roll to finish the album with the typical laughs at the end 

In summary, great musicians and very well played music but need more time writing the songs to find the best round of chords as a few tracks are very, very similar... and do not bring that piano again!


Followers 884 (July 2018)

GRADE 2 - BREAK THE ROUTINE - 2017



Ok, let's get started with this band that according to Spotify is from the Isle of Wright. Their music is described as a classic punk sound... let's see how they sound!




1 Devil's Dancen Hours
Promising intro that less than 1m. Promising expectations

2 Pubwatch
Good solid punk sound indeed... until you hear the lead voice... sounds a bit forced to me! Takes some seconds to get used to it but this is indeed a nice good track. ⭐⭐⭐

3 Groundhog Day
And this one starts even better. The Chorus and initial riff are very catchy so now that I'm used to the vocals I'm quite enjoying this one... until it comes the change to the second part which is weird and regretfully the song gets lost with a terrible final part. ⭐⭐⭐

4 Hearts of Gold 
Good intro from Sid at the bass guitar which gets quickly diluted in a simply bad song. 

5 Mr Industry
Another song that starts with a bass riff (My bet is that Sid is writing the songs) but this time the riff is quite - very annoying. The chorus is catchy but doesn't save it. ⭐⭐

6 Money in the Game 
More punk orientated song but probably the worst one so far. Never takes off. 

7 Turning the Tide
Again a very annoying riff!! The tempo then goes into a pogo-time and the chorus is truly quite good, but just that riff is really super annoying and keeps coming! Why?! Argh! 

8 Falling Bridges
Aha! That's it! Punk-Rock fresh and different! Even the vocals sound more solid and finally here we have a good catchy reef. The Chorus is great. Sublime track, probably the best one of the album 

9 Medina Snake
Good intro (maybe too long) and powerful beat and back vocals, but the chorus is ... bad and then all gets boring 

10 Procastrinator
As other tracks, the intro is quite interesting, but leads to nowhere and the pro-cas-tri-nator chorus is really, really annoying, lads. 


11 The life and Tales (Of Danny Ghoul)
Not sure who is Danny Ghoul, but I'm sure the lad didn't deserve this! Awful!


In Summary, a young bad with good intentions and good instrumental skills but that fail to take their ideas to the next level due to confusing changes and lack of catchy parts. 

The Worse: The singer
The Best: The rest




Followers 1,559 (July 2018)

CROWN COURT - CAPITAL OFFENCE (2016)




After hearing GRADE 2, Spotify recommends me have a look at this band of London, so let's see how this 13 track long album sounds


1.- Sammy Skyves
Well, I have no idea who is Sammy but love this song. You can immediately recognise the London flair, the lads in steel cap boots and the skinhead aggro. Main vocal nails it. Truly skinhead rock'n'roll. ⭐⭐⭐⭐  video

2.- Media Blockout
A bit more (too much?) Rock'n'Rollish rhythm. I have mixed feelings about the choir... not sure if it is boring or if I really like the twist of the final chords.. anyhow, the singer nails it again. ⭐⭐⭐

3.- What are you going to do?
Here they move to more deep-punk sounds, but the combination of chords end up sounding like a Spanish pasodoble. Doesn't really work. Sorry lads, gonna skip this one! 

4.- Hated but Rated
The intro is a blues riff with an increscendo tempo leading to another skinhead r'n'r theme. Nothing special about it. ⭐⭐

5.- 22
Yes, but now I've guessed these lads are really into rock'n'roll. The problem is that the songs are very similar one to the other because the combination of chords are indeed very similar. On this one, on top, the chorus is quite simple.  ⭐⭐

6.- Brotherhood of the Banned
Harder punk sound ideal for a bit of pogo, but the verse kills it. Nevertheless, great job from the main vocal. ⭐⭐

7.- Thames Sake
Slow kind of skinhead ballad. Sounds really British but I bet you they don't hit this one on the rehearsal day too often. Too long. Time to go for a beer. 

8.- Breakout
Starts with a never-ending intro but continues nicely with a catchy structure and (finally) an original and different verse. 

9.- Disco Nightmare
A second pogo theme against disco skins... I guess it may work life and after some pints, but on Spotify sounds quite simple. 

10.- Attack
A summary of what I've been hearing so far. Good and catchy skinhead rock'n'roll with a very characteristic guitar sound and a great singer. Good stuff. 

11.- Park Lane Boys
Weird dark rarity. Sinks despite the lads singing the back vocals. 

12.- The Province
Welcome to Ulster. Is not excellent but is catchy and love the second part when the singer gives us a different tone. They should have repeated that part at the end again. 

13.- Shapes of the Day
An to end the album, anooooother never-ending intro.... guys! Too long! The slow tempo doesn't help either on this occasion. 

In summary, very interesting band with the best promo picture ever. The album is in my opinion too long as a few songs are very similar. I would suggest to put some time in the studio and copy here, paste there to achieve better songs. But worth following.



Followers 948 (July 2018)

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

My reviews




Oi! Oi! It's me again. I'm back!

This time I'm going to focus my reviews on the Skinhead Music that can be found on Spotify. 

Yeah, yeah... I know. I have betrayed my working class roots subscribing to this app from hell that is killing the music industry. Blah, blah, blah

Jog on

I love this app. Yes, I love it!

However, I'm just disappointed I haven't been able to find a decent playlist yet so that's why I'm back to work with my reviews. 

I'm intending to rate all the songs individually and following the "Similar Artist" feature of Spotify I'm sure we will find some interesting pieces of art out there. 

Let's get started then.

For the glory of Oi!

skinheadsmusic@gmail.com