The Bristol punk rock n' roll crew do exactly as that title suggests!
There’s one glaring omission on ‘Here To Destroy’; namely that, unlike a Split Dogs gig, it comes without vocalist Harry Atkins’ utterly magnetic stage presence. Seriously, of all punk rock vocalists currently doing the rounds, they take the crown – for somehow managing to keep up such gloriously frenzied, bug-eyed, confrontational performances night after night. Suffice to say, as good as this record is, you’ll want to see these songs live for the full effect.
This is the follow-up to their 2023 self-titled debut, and it’s proof enough that the band are getting better with time. It was recorded live in three days, with no studio trickery involved, and hence everything here is as raw as a freshly popped blister – and all the more enjoyable for it. They’ve got the spirit and tunes of the ‘77 brigade, mixed with the take-no-prisoners attitude of street punk and hardcore, and delivered with 21st century urgency.
Opener ‘Stay Tuned’ is the musical equivalent of having your front door kicked in – but in a good way – whilst ‘Animal’ and ‘Meg’ are scorching blasts of d-beat, hopefully (and deservedly) to be met with crowd insanity everywhere they’re played.
They’re just as effective when they ease up on the accelerator, though. ‘Monster Truck’ is a tad more melodic and easy to dance to, with a beast of a solo and plenty of punk rock ‘whoa-oa’s, whilst recent single ‘Lafayette‘ – an ode to the music that shaped them – bounces along on a simple but catchy four-chord riff.
Oh, and like all the best punk bands, they’ve got a healthy distrust of authority, and take aim at the daily grind of work (‘And What’) and the little Hitlers of this world (‘Precious Stones’). “Why does it burn?” Harry yells on the latter, and it’s clear that Split Dogs aren’t lacking in inner fire; goodness knows what mischief they’d all be up to if they didn’t have the band as an outlet.
But yeah, believe us when we say that everything here will sound twice as great when played live, so it’s pretty handy that Split Dogs are about to head out on their first major headline UK tour. They are indeed here to destroy, and you’d be well advised to go and witness the ensuring carnage.
‘Here To Destroy’ is available from February 28th via Venn Records – order the CD and vinyl HERE
- Stay Tuned
- Monster Truck
- Animal
- Be A Sport
- Meg
- Lafayette
- And What
- Precious Stones
- All In
Follow Split Dogs on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
On The Cinder, Kingston Fighting Cocks, 17th July 2025
The Buffalo trio seemingly couldn’t care less that the Fighting Cocks is obviously not sold out – they’re far from home, and stoked that anyone
EP review: Darko – ‘Canvas’
Yes, this EP is the third in a conceptually-linked trilogy, but these folks are progressive in the sense that they’ve stuffed (or should that be
Live review: MoonPunx #5, LVLS, Hackney, 29th June 2025
Friends, punk family, and bands. What more could you ask for?! Family Of Strangers singer Lou Moon put on this lovely afternoon gig in a
Live review: The Uprising, The Pipeline, Brighton, 27th June 2025
What an incredible showcase of bands this was! Fluffy Bunny, the host of Underwrld, definitely knows how to put on a banging gig! With Mirrors
Live review: Guana Batz at Facebar, Reading, 3rd July 2025
It’s forty years since Guana Batz released their debut ‘Held Down to Vinyl…At Last’ and there has been a seismic change in the music scene
EP review: Petrichor release their self-titled debut
The kids are alright, folks. Washington DC quartet Petrichor are probably sick of journos like me mentioning their age (all between 13 and 15 years
I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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!
