When punk
rock exploded onto the headlines of the nationals in the late
seventies the effect would be seismic.
The
aftershock rippled across the whole of the UK and the disenfranchised
youth from everywhere answered the call to arms.
Of those
who immediately stuck a safety pin through their heart and formed a
band there's not that many from the provinces that are still around,
and sadly those who are seem content to celebrate their own past
glories and little else.
One of
the exceptions is of course Scotland's very own The Zips, a band who
have been kicking about in one form or another forever, and one who
appear to have a fire that simply can't be extinguished.
I'm sure
that a young Jon Zip, who watched the seventies give way to the
eighties, could never have imagined that in 2012 he would still be
fronting a band he formed then and would be continuing to release pent up energy through punk rock.
Yet here
he is proclaiming he will be '19 Forevva', and along with his
band-mates doing it with a great deal of heartfelt panache.
Music
wise there's echoes of The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers that are
evident throughout, and both influences allow the listener to
comfortably slip into the groove without the need to acclimatize
themselves to a sound that is initially completely unfamiliar.
This is
what most would describe as traditional punk rock.
It's
passionate, it has a point and it's sparks with life.
You could
have a list and tick points off on it.
Political
commentary, tick.
Outsider
angst, tick.
Anthemic
choruses, tick.
It's all
there, and all very well done.
Especially
on the track 'Straight to Helmand' that eloquently questions the loss
of life in foreign lands and how we perceive it in society.
Who says
modern music doesn't say anything anymore?
Here's
the proof that they're wrong.
Get on this. You wont be disappointed.
