Part Two of our Best of 2020 Music Roundup is all about the Punk (and Post Punk). We’re open-minded about what music we listen to hear at PIB Towers but we are especially partial to Punk and its siblings. So check out these three tracks and bands below!
Young Francis Hi Fi – I Wanna Hold You Tight (Tonite)
Fatter and Fuller! No, not pandemic waistlines bt the sound of Young Francis Hi Fi. Since Young Francis gave up the single life and joined forces with ex-members of Rotten Foxes we get the bubblegum punk of old but more so. In a quick ninety-four seconds, we get the ghosts of The Ramones vs The Runaways exhumed for a tooth-rotting, headbanging, sugar rush. Whilst you can’t wear double denim for gigs at the moment, don the denim for this fist-pumping, rebel-rousing tune courtesy of Young Francis Hi Fi at home tonite!
I Wanna Hold You Tight (Tonite) is available on Bandcamp: https://youngfrancishifi.bandcamp.com/releases
Austerity – Imperialism
Lockdown has given us all time to muse on how society works or doesn’t and Austerity has released Imperialism to add more to reflect on. Lean Post-Punk, been and gone in less than two minutes is the medium of their message conveying a distrust in the apparatus of the state. As with previous releases, jittery, skittish guitar lines meet tight danceable rhythms, so your body can dance whilst your brain thinks. The perfect workout to fight physical and mental flab.
These times are different and difficult but that shouldn’t dissuade us from questioning actions taken in our name without necessarily our agreement. This Austerity is the kind that should be embraced by all right-thinking music fans.
Imperialism by Austerity is out now on Every Man His Own Football Records.
FFO: Gang of Four, Wire, Gulls, Idles.
https://austeritypunk.bandcamp.com/track/imperialism
Gulls – Shame Shame Shame
Their last release Shop was a catchy polemic about the dangers of consumerism. Shame Shame Shame has its sights on the ne’er do wells who spread poison in our society with hateful rhetoric.
Vocalist Rhi gives the song its bite with her impassioned delivery whilst Hicks pounds out the rhythm and Boe delivers cool, punchy guitar lines and vocals too.
Fascists, racists and sexists are in their sights and in Shame Shame Shame they’ve delivered a bullet of a Punk song which hits its targets hard and true. The catchy chorus is an earworm and you’ll be humming it whilst doing your washing up.
Their Pop nouse shines through again on this track and even if you find Punk a bit tough to chew on, they take Punk and add a sprinkle of Pop in the right places but not to the detriment of their messages which are topical and worthy of thought and action.
They call their sound punkrockpoempop. You’ll call it righteous Punk and listen to it again. Release of the week and the highpoint for Brighton Punk releases so far this year. Shame on you if you don’t listen to Shame Shame Shame.
Shame Shame Shame is out now:https://cprwrecords.bandcamp.com/track/shame-shame-shame
Plugged In Brighton 