Tuesday 15 September 2009

Violent and Obscene



I have been looking forward to this release since I found out about it in June. Male Bonding, Fair Ohs, Graffiti Island and Pens have all contributed to this limited edition 7' out on Italian Beach babes.

A straight up homage to the king of debauchery and all that is disgusting from four of the best British lo-fi punk bands. It speaks volumes that a man who repulsed both mainstream America and his contemporary punk musicians alike with his relentless coprophilia, misogyny, hedonism and violence, is still popular 16 years after his drug induced death.



Fair Ohs open the proceedings with a cover of 'automatic'. Rather than reinterpret the song with their patented brand of tropical punk, they just bang it out like a live cover. Male Bonding do much the same with 'you hate me and I hate you'. Pens, although not always capable of producing quality recorded material, come up with the goods on a loose and drunken cover of 'I don't give a shit' and the short ep is rounded up by a haunting cover of 'drink, fight and fuck' from graffiti island with their instantly recognizable camp, yet spooky sound.

This is what Male Bonding's John Arthur Webb had to say on the subject of the filthy rapist himself.

"It's important that I make it clear that I love GG Allin's music, but not his views and opinions - some of them I do, but certainly not all of them. He fascinates me as a person - how over the years he went from "don't talk to me" to a song like "shove that warrant". He lived 100% through his music, and you can see that and hear it - literally hear it. His voice changed so much. All those cigarettes and bottles of Jim beam. i think he was an intelligent person, but he'd consumed too much of his own shit - quite literally..."




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