Author: Crossfire

Imagine Brighton in 1978. Punk rock had taken over the fashionable mod movement from the 60’s and mohawks ruled the airwaves, in fact the only thing that was holding up the pier was the whafts of hairspray and bottles of merrydown!

It wasn’t long before the seaside town had a flagship, sing along punk rock band that reflected the mood of drunken youth and Peter & the Test Tube Babies were the 4 piece made sure they were heard all over the UK. With 3 chords, a bottle of merrydown and some electricity, their popularity grew amongst the punk scene with releases such as Banned from the Pubs, Run Like Hell from the album Pissed and Proud in 1982.

But in 1984, The Loud and Blaring Punk Rock LP was released and caused much banter with songs such as Oral Annie, The Queen Gives Good Blow Jobs, Student Wankers, Child Molester, Porno Queen, Breast Cancer, Vicars (Wank Too) and Pick Your Nose and Eat It. It seemed that Peter had made the most repulsive punk record to date and that is why this album is featured here today because it’s a living legend!

As I type this I could not count the amount of times that this has been played in the car on road trips to either go on missions to see bands outside of town and skate trips. It’s a classic that has to be in your collection if you like cheeky punk malarkey, so go and find it!

If you’ve yet to discover the delights of The Hold Steady, then here’s a taste of what you’ve been missing. The New York quintet’s recently released third album ‘Boys And Girls In America‘ is arguably an early contender for album of 2007; a feast of whiskey-soaked alt-rock anthems that owe a debt to The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen, whilst still sounding remarkably fresh and vital.

‘Stuck Between Stations‘ is the first track, and a very fine introduction to the band it is too. Amidst the chiming piano and bold guitar licks, vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn reels off his stream-of-consciousness lyrics with the knowing aura of a guy who’s spent more than a few nights with nothing but his guitar and the long, winding roads for company.

You can check it out on the link above, and be sure to see the band live when they return to these shores for a few dates in early July:

2nd – London Shepherds Bush Empire
4th – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
5th – Manchester University

Alex Gosman

Smash together The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Pixies and The Sex Pistols and what do you get? The best thing to come out of Coventry since Lady Godiva and her naked horse-riding skills.

The Ripps combined quirky bright songs with a punk attitude that more than likely involves spitting in the street and swearing a bit, and Long Live The Ripps is the result. The debut album from brothers Patch and Raul Lagunas, along with adopted sibling Rachel Butt, draws on so many influences it is impossible not to like it.

They describe themselves as “Alcopopalyptic, Chiptastic & Tostadora”, but I reckon a better analogy would be Graham Coxon having a breakdown and going mental at a passing one-man band, then apologising and buying the poor bloke a nice cup of tea.

Long Live The Ripps is one of those albums you should definitely get if you like Specials covers and songs about getting in fights with drunken idiots who don’t like your haircut.

Tim Mogridge