Having grown up within spitting distance of Hastings, I can
say without bullshitting that there has always been a solid punk scene lurking
behind the peeling doughnut shops and once forlorn, now skeletal pier. Seeing
both the Filaments and Capdown there on separate occasions as an impressionable
young teenager before growing to hang around at the skate park, smoke weed in
Linton Gardens, seeing bands play while the walls sweated in the Crypt - all of
these things shaped me for better or worse. All of these things have clearly
shaped Maid of Ace as well, a group of sisters who thrash out Hellcat-style
punk rock as if their next cider depended on it. Opening tracks ‘Enemy Within’
and ‘Nothin’ on Me’ gives you a good idea where they are coming from, a
whirlwind of pounding rhythm, distorted riffs and throat wrenching vocals. This
is definitely the main thrust of the record’s attack, working particularly well
on ‘Dirty Girl’ where a sludgy chorus with shouted gang vocals wrestles for
attention with the furious speed of the rest of the song. If this was it things
could get boring, but there are enough varying influences cropping up to keep
the listeners attention. The mellow opening riff which brings a false sense of
security to ‘Sick of You’ soon gives way to a punk rock assault but it is in
this, in the creeping indie guitar of ‘Horror Show’ and in the 90s grunge
influenced alternative love song ‘Cannibal’ that are visible the seeds of great
things to come. Perhaps the main point to make out of these differing
influences is that they are always played within context – i.e. not forced and
sounding out of place, just another exclamation point to their juggernaut balls
out rock n roll. Apart from the above mentioned tracks, high point for me is
the psychobilly-tinged ‘Dickhead’ which calls someone out for moving to London
and getting too Nathan Barley for his Ugg boots…we all know a couple right?
This is a solid opening salvo of sea spray and cider-flecked gutter punk from a
group who you are sure to hear more from soon.
By Jono Coote
