The much anticipated debut album hits our streets, courtesy of Damaged Goods Records!
This album is a new release from some very familiar faces on the punk scene, and I’m happy to report that the results are anything but disastrous. It’s bloody great, in fact. If your preferred poison is short melodic punk rock songs, with hooks so large you could hang your coat off them, then this could be your tipple. This punk supergroup is made up of Charlie Harper of UK Subs fame on vocals, Del Greening of Peter & The Test Tube Babies on guitar, Vicky Smith of the Ramonas on bass, and Marley Perez (Charlie’s grandson) on the drums.
Just as UK Subs announce their last ever gigs in 2027, Charlie has instigated this brand-new project. This 14-track self-titled album has been put out by the ever dependable Damaged Goods Records, on yellow or pink vinyl. This songwriting partnership is best explained by Del Greening himself, “When I was a teenager, Charlie Harper was my hero. I saw him on Top Of The Pops, snarling his way through ‘Stranglehold’ like a man trying to start a riot on his own. And, that was it. I was in!” Charlie began to turn up to Peter & The Test Tube Babies gigs on a regular basis, and little did they know, he was on a reconnaissance mission. He was studying Del’s guitar skills “like a mechanic inspecting a suspicious engine noise.” After some time, Charlie suggested doing a project together.
The opening track, ‘Divide‘, has a mid-paced UK Subs vibe with plenty of floor tom in the verses. It also has that distinctive guitar sound that The Test Tubes are known for. It’s a song about today’s society, where we seem to be divided in everything we say and do, and Charlie ends the song with the wise words, “Ignorance is a choice.”
‘Lost‘ has the surprising addition of a horn section, which really works. It has a catchy chorus that contains a ‘pop’ element, and already, it is evident that a big spark has been created as a result of this collaboration. ‘Clickbait‘ has a nice choppy guitar line, and a great bassline to boot. It’s another short song, where Charlie urges us to “read between the lines“, before one of Del’s soaring guitar riffs comes swooping in. Just how I like them.
New Palestine‘ is this album’s accompanying single, and it’s easy to see why. It’s being released on neon green vinyl and has an almost post-punk guitar sound, and it’s also as catchy as hell. Charlie’s vocals come over nice and clear too, and the song ends with the defiant chant of “Free Palestine!” The next song, ‘Used And Abused’ has a slightly hypnotic bassline, and ‘Deadlines‘ is an album highlight, where the band say, “You talk too loud, think too small”. It’s also one of the first songs the band wrote together. The next song is called ‘Parasite‘ and this is one that channels Del’sinner Test Tube in its guitar style. “Promises that turn to dust,” Charlie sings. “You’re the Parasite!“
‘The Disasters‘ is a gloriously self-deprecating song about being the “wrong band, wrong place.”It’s also got a bit of a rock n roll feel to it. The band embrace themselves by the end though, and proudly declare, “We’re the Disasters!”
‘L.G.B.T‘. is another defiant song, where they sing, “We fight for acceptance, decade after decade’.‘The Takeover’ begins with a nice drum intro by Marley Perez, in a song that’s got a down and dirty sound to it. Vicky Smith’s distorted bass is at the forefront of this tune, and it sounds damn good. The intriguingly titled, ‘Squirrel‘ is up next, which shows off its rock n roll influences, with more than a smattering of surf music thrown in the mix. “Ooh La La La” go the backing vocals, and we even get some harmonica courtesy of Mr Harper towards the end of the song. ‘Scars‘ owns a rather poppy guitar riff, where Charlie proclaims, “We wear the scars”. ‘Cyber War‘ is one of the band’s earlier songs, and it’s also one of the highlights. It begins with some futuristic/retro keyboard sounds, before urging us to, “Shut down the internet.” In many ways, I can’t argue with that….
The final song on the album is an instrumental number called, ‘Strait Of Hormuz‘, which starts off with the sounds of a stormy sea and horns blaring from a distant ship. This tune has an old school, 50’s rock n roll vibe, complete with finger clicks. It also features a saxophone, reminding me of the 2-Tone era, minus the ska. The sound of a helicopter brings us to the end of an entertaining album.
The overall finished article is pretty special actually, and there doesn’t seem to be one bad song on the album. These songs do include the musical elements of both UK Subs and The Test Tubes, but they still manage to sound contemporary at the same time.’Derik & The Disasters‘ is an album consisting of a great set of songs where the old school dares to collide with the new.
As Charlie Harper himself said in a recent BBC report, “The people who used to say punk is dead…are NOW dead!”
Buy your copy of the new album, CD and single HERE.
Don’t forget to check out the band’s first ever gig at Vive Le Rock magazine’s annual ‘Vive Le X-Mess‘ festival at London’s Water Rats on Friday December 4th.
- Divide
- Lost
- Clickbait
- New Palestine
- Used And Abused
- Deadlines
- Parasite
- The Disasters
- L.G.B.T.
- The Takeover
- Squirrel
- Scars
- Cyber War
- Strait Of Hormuz
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
