MESS - Don't Look Back

 

1. Who are MESS? 

Mess are an Oi/Street Punk band from Mexico. They have been playing since 2020 and have recorded one album and a couple of E.P's. Don't Look Back (Nov, 2022) is from a split E.P. they made with The Chisel.

2. What kind of song is Don't Look Back?  

Don't Look Back is pretty, chill and mellow. It reminded me of indie rock songs like BRONCHO more than anything else. The vocals are delivered in a "listen up cunt, step outside" manner well known to Oi bands though. Honestly it's the way this song wormed it's way into my unconscious that made it stand up head and shoulders above the masses; just reading a book and the words and melody kept running through my head. 

3. Which bands do MESS sound similar to? 

They are a bit like Blitz, No Class, The Business, and obviously The Chisel.

4. Which bands have influenced MESS?

I couldn't tell you. Stiff Little Fingers, The Exploited, Blitz, and Cock Sparrer maybe.

5. What have people said about Don't Look Back?

"Their energy and talent is undeniable and they've mastered that adrenaline-charged fists-up singalong style" - The New Times Events.

"It's pure perfection. Shouty vocals with pretty little guitar lines" - DIY Conspiracy.

"Powerful anthems of working class struggle" - Pirates Press Records.

"And we, we care for today,

To stay alive and breathe another day"

Chubby and The Gang - Coming Up Tough

 

1. Who are Chubby and The Gang?

Chubby and The Gang are a punk rock band from West London, England, and formed in 2019. The band members have played in hardcore punk bands and Chubby and The Gang have Oi and pub rock sensibilities to boot. Coming Up Tough (June, 2021) is the third single from their second album The Mutt's Nuts (August, 2021). 

2. What has Coming Up Tough got?

Coming Up Tough has a rock riff that wouldn't embarrass an early Acca Dacca (AC/DC) album and hardcore vocals that are furious about the brutal injustice of the prison system. A relentless rhythm reminiscent of a street beating pounds the message home but it's far from one dimensional. This is apex Chubby and The Gang.

3. Who do Chubby and The Gang sound like?

The Chisel of course (Chubby and The Gang singer Charles "Chubby Charles" Walker is the guitarist in The Chisel) but also Motörhead, Blitz, Conservative Military Image, and The Chats.

4. Which bands have influenced Chubby and The Gang?

The Ramones, Dr. Feelgood, Coloured Balls.

5. What have other people said about Coming Up Tough?

“A fist-pumping punk rager” – Louder Sound.

“A prickly take on the older, more melodic genres that punk derives from”- Tune Of The Day.

“A ripper”- Stereogum. 

"They sent you down for far too long"

8. Anything else?

Listening to Chubby and The Gang and The Chisel remind me of this Australian punk gem by Royal Headache. Royal Headache were a garage punk band from Sydney, Australia. They were critical darlings and released two albums, Royal Headache (2011) and High (2015). The band remind me of Cloud Nothings. But Royal Headache never achieved any mainstream success and imploded in 2017. Little Star is a low-fi scuzzy song that has gained punk anthem status among some and has remained one of my all time favorites if only for the lyric...

"What's the point of living if we can't understand the truth?

Not worth it!"