locked in the dressing room
Waterloo Music Bar Blackpool
Locked in the dressing room records
Yeah we all know the situation. Walking, sourdough baking or eating, knitting and lack of gigs. Isolation is no longer just one of our favourite songs as musicians have no Avenue for their live work. We have tried zoom gigs, quizzes and I know people have even tried cocktail parties but there is still a gap. A huge gaping hole. We will fill it, we just don’t know when.
Locked in the dressing room is a series of compilation records where bands give up their art in at attempt to raise some much needed money for music veneers. These venues are trying to get support from the state but they are on life support machines, hoping that time will heal and we can visit them once more. We will get there but just don’t know when.
So the punks have done what punks do in times of crises. Come together and see if they can do anything. While I would loved to have seen an insert in this record detailing the issue and giving some background on the bands and why this is important to them I was left with a lovely Blackpool tangerine vinyl and my own research to discover the info. It feels like these compilations are filling a void left by rebellion not happening. Most of these bands have graced various stages at the annual festival in the past.
Nobelschrott kick it all off with Barkeeper. A nice fast quick tune with vocals high in the mix and a punky lofi mix of instruments.
Litterbug are looking to help their local venue as the Blackpool gang sing midnight dream. A nice fast tune in that litterbug style.
Band of the underhand are sandinista era clash with an Julie’s been working the drug squad feel from 504
dublin punks the Lee Harvey’s are sounding closer to Theatre of Hate than the punky new wave sound we are more accustomed to. This track is from their great Resistance Is Not Terrorism Album
Slice of Life are a band that have had to postpone tours as a consequence of covid. Steve’s vocals here are less of the raspy version and more a spoken poetic version of himself.
Wolf Bites Boy give an account of England these days. Broken dreams alright.
Angry itch have a similar sound if slightly angrier, nothing mild about it despite the title of their song.
Paul Carter’s dedicated to the anti acoustic league song is sung ironically on an acoustic guitar. “When anarchy comes there will be no electricity. And you can’t plug in so you will have to listen to me” may not be the scenario of a better world we have longed for but who knows what’s ahead?
The title of The satellites song describes what many of us feel we are going through at the moment. A nightmare. Except this post punk tune was originally released in the late 70s
Sad sally give us some more hardcore while Reaction and the lengthmen and the fuckwits play a conventional rock punk tune
Frau Blucher and the drunken horses have a sax driven sound. When they say smile and shut your mouth you don’t really feel like talking.
The terrorsurfs bring their hard surf sound to the album. No vocals just a sound from the sea punked up
Syteria have a rockier sound than all else in the album but a poppy punk sensibility to their stupid girl song makes me want to hear a bit more
Desperate measures rock and roll a bit more. Plenty of yeah yeah yeahs and stops in the right places for you to shake your head to.
It all ends up with the punk rock sound of Dog town rebels. Tears of a nation is their track but our tears aren’t for a nation they are for a generation wondering what normalcy really is.
A compilation of hope for better times where we can gather, sing some songs, smile and create that better world.
niallhope
