Epic Problem - Lines EP

Epic Problem – Lines EP

The 90s were a brilliant time for punk compilations – as a teenager getting into punk music in the early 2000s, I found myself quickly giving up on the Punk-O-Rama’s and Give ‘Em the Boot’s being put out at the time and delving into earlier issues. While these compilations dipped a toe into the mainstream via Rancid, NOFX and the like (while still remaining brilliant, don’t get me wrong…well, at least until the 4^th or 5^th release by either series’), TKO threw together some awesome, angry and harder to come by releases under the title of Punch Drunk. These focused heavily on rough and ready street punk, ideal drinking music which also, while the media was calling any old shit with spiky hair and guitars skate punk, was picked up on by the SF based skateboarding company Deluxe and used as the soundtrack to actual, balls out skating rather than hanging out by the Corn Exchange wearing Bernie’s jeans and a fringe. I write this only because it seems a perfect starting point to talk about midlands-based punks Epic Problem, who have just released a four track EP called Lines and who would sound right at home on one of those classic compilations, taking those anthemic sounds but created something more intricate and dare I say mature sounding – I guess the opposite way to approach describing their sound would be to evoke Leatherface but with more drive and anger.

The record turned up on my doorstep a couple of days ago, resplendent in blue splatter vinyl and with stickers thrown in (I fucking love stickers), and I haven’t really stopped listening to it since – it is a perfect soundtrack to skating down the street, cheering up a stressed girlfriend or drinking wine dead fast because fuck it, you’re celebrating Wednesday. A clearer sound quality than previous releases does full justice to the four tracks, with a Scrooge level tightness to the musicianship backing up a gravel-voiced vocal which conveys a sincerity and passion you ain’t gunna hear in the charts any time soon. Some carefully placed harmonies add to their sound nicely, especially the ‘whoooaa’s’ which open ‘Sink’ and bring to mind the Bouncing Souls way back when they were good. With alumni from the Dead Subverts and Blitz being involved in this group it was never going to be a half-arsed job, and this definitely shows a band going from strength to strength. Whiskey-flavoured icing on the cake is a cover of the Beltones’ ‘Weak’, bringing me back round to the Punch Drunk comparison and giving some love to one of the Bay Area’s finest exports, fucking quality! I’m looking forward to checking them out live ASAP, as this is damn fine drinking and dancing music.

By Jono Coote

Revenge of the Psychotronic Man - 10 Year Anniversary 7"

It’s hard to believe that Revenge of the Psychotronic man have been going for 10 years. 10 years ago, I’d just finished school, probably only really just starting to get into punk and going to gigs properly. It wasn’t till 4-5 years later, when myself and a few mates got our hands on a comp called “Music by People Who Drink Cider in the Gutter” that we found out who this dead noisy, relentless sounding band were. We were all in instant agreement that this was the best possible name for a compilation album, and, I think, probably still is the best one I’ve heard today. We also all agreed that ROTPM were a band we needed to listen to a whole lot more, and so when the split with the Fractions came out, we pooled together our dwindling financial resources to get a copy. We only had 1 copy between 3-4 people, and we rinsed it. Make Pigs Smoke became our pre-gig drinking album that we’d listen to, in my final year at uni. Hell, I still listen to it now if I’m getting drunk, or need to do something really fast when coffee won’t cut it.

The 10 Year Anniversary 7” EP is essential listening for everyone who's been to see this band over the last decade. In 10 years, they’ve become part of an established punk label, played hundreds of gigs across the UK and Europe, assembled what must be thousands of human pyramids, and more recently even did a session for the Radio 1 Punk Show. That’s big stuff! I think what I like most about this 7” is that not only is it still brutally fast, it also sums up what Revenge are about as a band. Anyone who’s heard of TNS Records will know the slogan “Get pissed, talk shit, dance like an idiot”. The vast majority of people who have ever been to a punk gig can relate to it, and are almost certainly still doing it. Rita, Sue and Bob too has been re-recorded and now sounds bigger and noisier than it did in the original 2005 recording. Side B switches things round a bit, with some remixes from the 2012 album, Shattered Dreams Parkway. Definitely a must for fans of bands such as China Shop Bull and Cradle to the Rave, who remixed Things I Have Learned in my Life so Far. The remix of Beer for Breakfast sounds great, however for me it’s the Cradle to the Rave remix which shows that it doesn’t matter if you’re using guitars, or keyboards, or computers, you can still make music sound fast, loud and heavy, which can be sometimes neglected in punk music. Embrace it!

I hope Revenge of the Psychotronic Man keep going for another 10 years and more. Still getting pissed, still talking shit and still dancing like idiots. Let’s hope it never changes.