RAT BOY - Mob Mentality

 

1. Who are RAT BOY? 

RAT BOY is Jordan Cardy from Chelmsford, England. He has been making music since 2012 and Mob Mentality (Oct, 2024) is one of a handful of songs to get a release and video from his third album Suburbia Calling (Oct, 2024). RAT BOY's music started out as a blend of hip hop and indie rock but veered toward Rancid style ska and punk rock since signing to Hell Cat for the second album Internationally Unknown (2019). 

2. What kind of tune is Mob Mentality? 

Mob Mentality is Madness style ska in the verses and a Clashesque chorus. The song wears it's Madness influences on it's sleeves. It is what it says on the tin. 

3. Which bands do RAT BOY sound like? 

Jamie T, The Specials, Madness, Rancid.

 4. Which bands have influenced RAT BOY? 

The Clash, The Streets, Beastie Boys, Rancid, Blur, Kasabian. 

5. What have the press said about Mob Mentality?

"Their chaotic youthful sound captures the sound of debauchery" - When The Horn Blows. 

"Scrappy punk meets Brit-pop" - Epitaph. 

"Leans hard into it's British roots, pulling on the sounds of Britpop, 90's indie and 2 Tone ska" - Atwood Magazine. 

"Mob mentality that's reality, murder she wrote,

Call the policeman when you hear the spray cans,

No where left to go"

Grade 2 - Under The Streetlight

 

1. Who are Grade 2?

Grade 2 are a punk band from The Isle of Wight, England. They have been making music since 2013 and Under The Streetlight (Nov, 2022) is the lead single from their third self-titled album Grade 2 (Feb, 2023). 

2. What kind of song is Under The Streetlight? 

Under The Streetlight is woe to go a Rancid rocker saying something about seize the day and have fun. There's a smidgen of the maudlin English indie rock storytelling tradition in there to spice it up and make the classic punk sound their own. It's a belter and the most popular song Grade 2 have.

3. Who do Grade 2 sound similar to? 

Rancid, Gimp Fist, The Interrupters, Dropkick Murphys. 

4. Which bands have influenced Grade 2?

Some of their influences are Rancid, The Clash, Lions Law, The Jam, The Specials, Dropkick Murphys, Green Day, Offspring, Buzzcocks ... 

5. What have the cut and paste merchants said about Under The Streetlight?

"High enery track with a spirited, hopeful melody" - Indie Punk and Alternative.

"Blistring punk music lace with passion, angst, humor and despair" - Prelude Press. 

"Confidence and unrelenting swagger" - Punktuation.

 "We've had our share of these trying times,

So tonight, we're gonna leave them behind"

Gimp Fist - Seventeen

 

1. Who are Gimp Fist? 

Gimp Fist are a street punk band from Bishop Auckland, England. They formed in 2005 and Seventeen (June, 2024) is the lead single from their tenth album Losing Streak (July, 2024). 

2. What kind of tune is Seventeen? 

Seventeen is more pop punk than Oi but it still whips past as fast as a Cheetah's dick. Something about being a retard at school and nostalgia for records. 

3. Who do Gimp Fist sound like? 

The Old Firm Casuals, Booze & Glory, The Last Resort.  

4. Which bands have influenced Gimp Fist? 

Gimp Fist's main influences are Cock Sparrer, The Clash, Rancid, and The Business. 

5. What have the press said about Gimp Fist?

"Fast and furious working class punk rock" - Indie Punk and Alternative.

"Rousing old school UK skinhead rock'n'roll & street punk sound" - Rough Trade.

"An over-arching sense of angst and urgency" - Louder Than War.

The Last Gang - Turn The Record Over

1. Who are they?

The Last Gang are a punk rock band from Orange County, California, playing together since 2004. Turn The Record Over is from their debut album Keep The Counting (March'18).


2. What have they got?

Punk rock with gang vocals. Derivative and concise. No reinventing the wheel here.


3. Who do they sound like?

The Interrupters, Rancid, and The Distillers. 


4. What have the keyboard punchers said?

"Not afraid to cram in hooks alongside the singalong choruses" - New Noise Magazine.

"High energy, pop-infused street punk" - Dying Scene.

"Crisp production and good songwriting throughout" - Punk News.

5. Who are they influenced by?

Rancid, The Clash, and Misfits.

6. Why should I give the tune a spin?

Because you remember when Rancid sounded exciting.

7. Do they have any more good uns? 

Blood Drunk.

8. Anything else?

Zip. 

“I got my radio blaster, I got my one telecaster”

RVIVR are a punk rock band from Olympia, Washington. They have been playing together since 2008 and have two albums in the bag. The Tide (Dec’16) comes from the E.P. of the same name. The Tide is a fist thumping, lo-fi punk song with catchy riffs, traded male/female vocals, and an honest lead guitar break. As gritty as her crack when you are fucking on the beach. 

“Choking on your words like the cops are coming”

131's - Distorted Images

1.    Who are they? 

131's are a punk rock band from Melbourne, Australia. They have been together since 2016. Distorted Images (Dec'16) is a standalone single. 

2. What kind of tune are they peddling? 

A powerful punk song with a driving rhythm and some classic Aussie rock trimmings. Catches on after a few listens and becomes essential ammunition.

3. Who do 131's sound like? 

Rancid, The Clash and even The Choirboys.

4. What have the press said about Distorted Images? 

1.    “Displaying their signature guitar growl, impassioned vocals and kinetic drumming” - Around You. 

“Fucking great tune” – You Tube Comments.  

“Kick ass” – You Tube Comments.  

5. Which bands put the fire in 131's belly? 

The bands that influenced the 131's are Rancid, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Birthday Party and Rose Tattoo. 


6. Why should I give Distorted Images a fair crack of the whip? 

Distorted Images is the finest kind of punk rock; social commentary without a baseball bat to the head and ripping riffs. Killer key change in the last chorus too.


7. What are 131's best songs? 

This Ain't Culture is their debut tune and remains their finest. 


8. Any more words? 

Singer and guitarist Luke Yeoward fronted rock'n'reggae band King Cannons. 

“That don’t mean much to me”

.



Stacked Like Pancakes are a ska punk/brass rock band from Towson, Maryland. The band started in 2007 and six or seven of the band members got degrees at Towson University. Stacked Like Pancakes sound like Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake. They are influenced by Reel Big Fish, twenty one pilots and Cage The Elephant. Dangerous Beginnings is an album track from THIS IS US (2015). Dangerous Beginnings is the perfect ska song borrowing from familiar ska punk tropes and twisting them into inventive new shapes. An improbably inventive song. 

“If you choose me tonight,

You’re gonna like what I do to you”

The Interrupters - By My Side

1.    Who are the crew? 

The Interrupters are a ska punk band with a social conscience from Los Angeles, California. By My Side is the lead single from their second album Say It Out Loud (June'16). 

2. What kind of tune is By My Side?

By My Side is a rabble rousing ska charger with a gang vocals chorus. A party maker, arse shaker, fist pumper, hug maker and beer drinking song. And with a word about solidarity.

3. Who do The Interrupters sound like?

And Out Come The Wolves... era Rancid. Sublime, No Doubt and The Specials a bit. 

4. What have the cut and paste bandits said about By My Side?

“A fist-pumping, tender tribute to outcast solidarity” – Hell Cat Records.

“Guitar driven and melodic” – Havoc TV.

“Undeniably fun and urgent” – New Noise Magazine. 

5. Which bands have put the skank into The Interrupters tunes?

The Interrupters are influenced by bands like The Clash, Rancid, No Doubt, The Specials and Joan Jett.  


6. Why should I give By My Side a lash? 

By My Side is the best party music and would make a dead man dance. End of story. 


7. Do The Interrupters have any more of these solid gold songs? 

Indeed. Take Back The Power embodies the rebel spirit. Actually they are all good. Listen to all the songs.


8. Any more words poppet?

Say It Out Loud was produced by Tim Armstrong of Rancid. 

The bass player, guitar player and drummer are brothers.

“You’ve been there since Queen St in 1993,

Yeah twenty years and a thousand beers and you’re still there for me”

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are one of the most influential ska punk bands ever. Formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1983 they have nine albums on their flag of battle honors. Their iconic album is Let's Face It (1997). It is their most successful, being certified platinum, and the lead single The Impression That I Get went to number one on the Billboard Modern Rock charts. Sputnik Music say Let's Face It is “one of the greatest ska-punk albums to come out of the nineties.”

“Or has it come down to do-or-die,

You need a strength most don’t possess”

Green Day - Revolution Radio

     1.   Why must I bow before their majesty?

     Green Day are perhaps the finest punk band to ever walk the planet. Green Day were conceived in East Bay, California, in 1986. There is no doubt it was an immaculate conception. The band have labored hard and sent down twelve long players of gospels to the huddled masses. Bless their hearts. Green Day have sold over 75 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock'N'Roll Hall Of Fame in 2015; their first year of eligibility. Revolution Radio (Sept'16) is the second single released from the album of the same name Revolution Radio (Oct'16). 

     2. Do the boys have anything left in the gas tank? 

     Does a rapist sweat in church? Revolution Radio is straight for the jugular political punk rock and the band are incendiary. Revolution Radio pulses with malice and launches jagged licks over a blitzkrieg of riffs. This is Green Day at their finest, firing on all cylinders, fury unleashed. The band have fired off a missive about the state of the nation, and it ain't pretty, and a call to arms to the rebels prepared to fight for a better world. 


3. Who do Green Day sound like? 

Rancid, The Offspring, The Living End, Stiff Little Fingers and The Clash.


4. What have the venerable scribes in the press said about Revolution Radio?

“A big snotty hook and a sense of speed” – Stereogum. 

“Hell-raising” – Vulture. 

“Back to basics” – Alt 92.9 Boston. 

      5. Which bands were instrumental in carving out Green Day's genius?

The main Green Day influences are Husker Du, The Replacements, The Ramones, Queen, The Who and Cheap Trick. 


6. Why should I give Revolution Radio a fair crack of the whip? 

Green Day have served up another chapter in their long history of phenomenal rock and roll and it doesn't get any better than this. Revolution Radio is visceral and vital and asks a question that only you can answer. Are you prepared to put up with this shit show? 


7. What are the other gems in Green Day's crown? 

When I Come Around, Know Your Enemy and Oh Love are the crown jewels. 


8. Any more words whipping boy? 

The new album Revolution Radio was self-produced by the band for the first time since Warning (2000). 

“Sing like a rebels lullaby,

Under the stars and stripes”

     

     The double dip today is a Green Day crowd singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody at the Emirates Stadium, London, 2013. Queen are one of the greatest rock bands to ever step on stage. They started rocking in 1970 and recorded thirteen albums selling up to 300 million copies worldwide. Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) was Queen's most successful song, selling millions of copies and is one of the best selling singles of all time; topping charts around the world. Listen to a Green Day crowd sing it. Jump to before the two minute mark for the best bit if you must. It's pure fucking magic. 

“So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?

So you think you can love me and leave me to die?”

131's - This Ain't Culture

 

1.    Who are these punk prophets?

 

131’s are a new punk band from Melbourne, Australia. This Ain’t Culture (Feb’16) hemorrhages off the 131’s debut self-titled E.P. due in June.

 

 

2. What’s the good word?

 

This Ain't Culture is straight up punk rock, hard as an endoscopy performed with a bricklayers fist and a hand held camera. With crashing guitars, booming bass and furious vocals This Ain't Culture hands out a furious belting to issues of central importance to us all and is an anthem for the marginalised, the dispossessed, the punk nation.

 

 

3. Who do these sainted heroes sound like?

 

The 131’s sound similar to Rancid, Bruce Springsteen's good ones, The Clash, Motorhead, The Jam and Bad Religion say Triple J. And so say all of us.

 

 

4. What have the poxy press said about This Ain’t Culture?

 

 

“Spirited punk rock” – The AU Review.

 

“Heartland rock hooks rallying in their call-to-arms approach” – Rolling Stone Australia.

 

“Punk rock roots and ballsy lyrics” – AAA Backstage.

 

 

 

 

5. Which famous few have left an indelible mark on the fine musical canon of the 131’s?

The 131’s are influenced by nothing but the greatest bands to walk God's green earth. To wit The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Rancid, Radio Birdman, The Saints, The Birthday Party, The Jam, Cock Sparrer (fuck me dead Fred that's how you sling a bass), Rose Tattoo, Bad Religion and Social Distortion.

6. Why should I give This Ain’t Culture a fair crack of the whip?

 

This Ain't Culture is music that matters, that warms the cockles of the heart, that stirs passion and dares you not to shake your arse with manic intensity. The 131's have made a statement of intent and smacked it with contempt right out of the park.

 

 

7. Do the 131's have any more of these bright burning treasures?

 

Debut song so stay tuned. Dig into the gospel of King Cannons for something similar. Take The Rock has the same power, politics and fury.

8. Any more truth?

 

Singer Luke Yeoward fronted Auckland punk band with a bit of mongrel, Suicide Dogs, and rock'n'reggae band King Cannons.

 

The rhythm section, Rich and Hank Richards played in punk rock band The Dirty Love.

The 131’s are opening up for godfathers of punk the Stiff Little Fingers in Melbourne at the end of March. That is the royal nod right there.

 

 

“Culture grows when it’s left alone, not intervened with, bought or sold”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert is served by iconic punk legends Stiff Little Fingers. Forged in the flames of Ireland's fight for freedom from the English and senseless sectarian violence in 1977, Stiff Little Fingers are one of punk rock's most popular and influential bands. With ten long players in their role of honour and still going strong the band wrote inflammatory songs that raged against political and military oppression and social alienation. The live album See You Up There (1989) captured the band at the peak of their phenomenal powers at the legendary venue of the Brixton Academy, London (1988). Stand out tracks include Alternative Ulster, Gotta Gettaway, Wasted Life and Suspect Device. A life lived without this album would be hollow and meaningless.

 

“You got the army on the street,

And the RUC dog of repression,

Is barking at your feet”