Brighton Rock,
Phinius GageWhile not strictly ‘new’ (by ‘not strictly’ I actually mean ‘hardly at all’), in that it consists of rerecorded tracks from their out-of-print EP More Haste More Speed, three new songs and a remix, Brighton rock somehow sounds fresher than Volvic. With a gorgeously crisp production that makes their superb skate punk (no messing about here, this is a fine example of how to operate within a genre without sounding staid) verge on the anthemic. If you’d written PG off as yet another UK punk band not worth a squizz, then it’s time to re-evaluate since Brighton Rock is the product of an extremely competent band playing brilliant songs very well, while More Haste was arguably a pretty good band playing brilliant songs not quite as well as you’d like. The difference between me nicking a tap in and Thierry Henry waltzing round the Spurs team and embarrassing half of North London, if you will. A goal’s a goal, but the execution’s where it counts.
The newly-thick production adds an extra layer to ‘Home and Away’ and ‘Fire’s Burning’, since they now sound like the bursts of adrenaline that they are when PG play live. Adding an extra verse to ‘We Swear Too Much’ has turned it from an all-too-short joke into a fully-fledged anthem that simply screams with energy. With a simple melody that Pennywise would sell their powerchords for, it’s a perfect centrepiece to kickstart the revival of a band that has been on the edges of the punk scene for too long. Along with ‘The Wonderful’ it shows that skate punk can not only be kept interesting, but doesn’t have to be the sole preserve of the Americans; even without the guitar genius of The Mercury League or Failsafe’s talent for unique structures, PG are definitely more than capable of forging a name for themselves as purveyors of top-draw punk rock.
‘Broken Wings’ and ‘There’s No I in Ignorant’ are solid punk tunes that serve as filler, rather than striking out on their own. Perhaps it’s a side effect of putting them next to what have now grown into being classics and not letting them speak for themselves. But on the whole the EP is generally excellent, and the drum ‘n bass remix of ‘Broken Wings’ is a brave move which pays off. If you missed More Haste…the first time around and you have even the most casual liking for punk rock, there’s really no excuse for not picking up this little gem.
Ben
http://www.phiniusgage.com/
