Skate punk is a very restrictive genre. No matter how hard many bands try, it’s unlikely that they ever emerge from the recording studio with anything barely resembling an original record. However, when done well, it can sound absolutely mind blowing, especially live.
Luckily for us punk fans in the United Kingdom, some of the best young punk bands are plying their trade on this very island. Route 215 and Captain Everything are two of these very bands, and along with fellow UK residents Mr Zippy and 4ft Fingers, are spearheading the skate punk explosion. This eight track split CD showcases four tracks by each of the bands and unusually for a split, is an absolute corker.
The split CD is a punk tradition, from major label bands covering each other’s songs to young, unsigned bands joining forces to share the cost of recording an EP, it is a staple part of the punk community. Unfortunately, it is usually the case that one band showcases four absolutely mind blowing tracks, while the second simply wastes 15 minutes of record space and leaves you wondering why they even bothered. Thank god, this isn’t the case with these two up and coming groups.
Route 215 kick off proceedings with ‘Zombie Movies’ and the cheesy B movie extract sets up proceedings nicely, hinting at the ridiculousness ahead! A song about the kind of films George Romero knocks out in his sleep, furious drumming, dumb but endearing lyrics and Screeching Weasel style vocal work from Rod makes for a slightly repetitive, but fun filled two and a half minutes. A good start so far ….
Captain Everything are up next, and the proceedings are much the same. Sounding like Snuff jamming with Pulley, ‘Just For Paul’ is a breakneck punk nugget of the highest calibre. Unfortunately for the CE guys, they are totally eclipsed by Route 215‘s next effort’ ‘Stuck With You’ is, despite verging on the vulgar and ultimately pointless toilet humour of Blink 182 and Guttermouth, a fantastic little number with one of the best chorus’s I’ve heard in a long time. ‘Stuck with your name on my penis/Stuck with your name on my cock’ sings Rod, and sounds genuinely disturbed by the fact, and so he should! This song is a lesson to all of those idiots who think getting a teenage girls name tattooed on a body part (OK, so it’s very rarely the dick that is chosen, but still) is romantic.
The quality of the songs is very high, and this little taster certainly whets the appetite for the imminent full length records from both bands, available on HouseHold Name and 20 Deck respectively. Finally, Captain Everything end the split with a cover of the theme tune from ‘classic’ 80’s Jersey based cop show ‘Bergerac’. Crazy, but somehow, they manage to just about pull it off.
If you’re looking for high brow, technical punk rock with meaningful lyrics and links to the works of 21st century philosophers in the liner notes, you’ve come to the wrong place. However, if you are after fast paced, amusing skate punk then both Route 215 and Captain Everything may be for you. They are both touring the UK in support of much larger bands at the moment, and if I was you, I’d go and see Fletcher or Nerf Herder and get there early and check these guys out.
Ross