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Album review: Dead Star Boys return with album #2 – ‘Rats’

A rocking, revitalising, must-listen for fans of early Buzzcocks!

Hailing from Medway, Kent, UK, Dead Star Boys bring their own twist to punk and post-punk. “Our style is how we spin the type of songs that came out in late 1970’s Britain. We’re fast but not too fast and we have tunes (and lyrics) that aren’t the usual type of clichés that most bands are turning out.”

Their second album ‘Rats‘ is scheduled for release on Monday 13th April, just 8 months after their  self-titled debut, which was praised by Vive Le Rock saying “This band have a great sound and are definitely going places”.

We concur – these boys can turn out seriously good sounds!

Dead Star Boys 2
Dead Star Boys

Dead Star Boys are:
Viv Tucker – Lead vocals & bass
Ash Jordan – Guitar
Pat McGinn – Drums

Viv “jumps up and down and often gets confused as being Pete Shelley’s reincarnation” say the band. This album will certainly appeal to fans of Buzzcocks‘ early output, with effervescent guitar and bass keeping each song bounding along while the drums add sparks!

Rats‘ opens with a fabulous cover of of the Buggles’ ‘(Living in the) Plastic Age’ – it had to be done – which sounds as relevant now as it did back in 1980:

The remaining 10 tracks are originals. “We’re trying to create something fresh. Yeah, we know it’s all been done before, but we hope that our music isn’t just another case of riffs blatantly stolen and passed of as a homage…” Covering topics from internet dating in ‘Lonely Boy‘ to falling through the cracks of society in the title track ‘Rats‘, to the existential threat to the working class in ‘Waiting For A Bomb’ and a none-too-optimistic look into the future in ‘Dead Star Boys‘ and ‘Summer’s Gone’, you’d be forgiven for thinking this must be a gloom-ridden record…

In fact, ‘Rats‘ showcases Dead Star Boys‘ talent for phenomenal blasts to the ears of the grooviest and catchiest rock’n’roll! It’s wild, it’s writhing with earworms, and it’s an absolute must-listen – go get it in your ears asap!

Dead Star Boys band
Dead Star Boys

A final word from Dead Star Boys; “If you came from Medway then you’d understand how cut off we are from the oxygen we need… it’s frustrating, but we are starting to get better offers on the back of rave reports from gigs, and independent radio play.”

Maybe so, but word is certainly spreading that Dead Star Boys have something remarkable to offer. Pre-order ‘Rats‘ on CD from Detour Records HERE, and you can pre-order a digital copy from HERE

Dead Star Boys next play live on Saturday 11th April in Gravesend – Tickets are available HERE

  1. Plastic Age
  2. Lonely Boy
  3. Jet Fighter
  4. Rats
  5. The Soldiers Are All Broken
  6. Don’t Turn Off The Light
  7. Waiting For A Bomb
  8. The Dead Star Boys
  9. Summer’s Gone
  10. Johnny’s Got A Gun
  11. Killed By Dreams
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