A review of last orders by CPR music: At last the two mightiest titans of Northern Oi are together on one album and by hey what a corker. Gimp Fist open the album the storming ‘Them and Us’. It starts out with this dark atmospheric ambient sound and gradually builds through grungey bass and crunchy as fuck guitars to one of their trademark hooks that it’s almost impossible not to skank to. Seamlessly (but with a proper outro and intro thank fuck) they come back with another hit ‘Day In Day Out’. Two tracks in to the record and I’m already making plans to go to a punk show tonight, God I wish I was at Rebellion this weekend because I too am ‘sick and tired of the same old shit, day in day out’. Track 3 ‘The Violent Few’ is another absolute killer. I think by now you’re beginning to get the point, Gimp Fist are one of the best Punk acts around and every one of the 5 tracks they have on this record are absolute stonkers. They have that high energy, positive sound firmly rooted in their working class roots. Heavily influenced by the likes of Stiff Little Fingers and Early Clash these boys have it locked up solid and if you get the opportunity to go see them and pass it up, punch yourself in the face, hard and repeatedly because you are a grade-A idiot.
The second half of the album is just as good as the first, if not better. Whilst Last Rough Cause don’t have the rough edge that Gimp Fist rock, they more than make up for it with rich rocking melodies. Lead singer Andy Wears has as certain tone to his voice (somewhere between Jake Burns and a young Feargal Sharkey) that I just fucking love. Don’t get me wrong, Last Rough Cause and Oi with the best of them as tracks like ‘Out with the Drinking Crew’ and ‘No Justice’ more than adequately prove. But for me it’s the melodies with LRC that really win me over. ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’ has this great progression through it which I think you really need in a punk album (verse, chorus, verse, chorus gets a bit repetitive after a while). And the final track ‘Worst Week of My Life’ pulls you right in with guitars upon guitars, slaps you round the chops with lyrics like “Some little fucker smashed up my car” (with a slightly Joe Strummer emphasis on the ‘fucker’ – listen to the song) and then drops you with a kick in the proverbial conkers with a hook that’s impossible not to sing along too.
This is certainly one of the best albums of the year so far in my humble opinion. Lie, cheat and steal if you have to, but buy this album. Better still get along to one of their shows, get your socks rocked off, buy a CD and a T-Shirt and meet the lads while you’re on.
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