2 Sick Monkeys – Into Oblivion
The term “Legend” get’s bandied about all too freely these days, but in the case of Wiltshire DIY Punk two-piece outfit 2 Sick Monkeys, it is an apt epithet, as for over 10 years they have been playing their way around venues, dives and squats not only all over the UK, but most of Europe, and even as far afield as Japan, peddling their own brand of drum and bass punk noise to eager crowds. However, this latest release is their swansong, their last hurrah, as they call time on this epic journey. But what a final statement it is, for a band used to spitting out sub 2-minute rants has created a behemoth double album chock full of special guests and even a track that weighs in at a hefty 6 minutes.
The band has really chucked everything at this album, ensuring it is crammed full of everything that made them the band they were. Elements of classic Punk Rock are woven with Hardcore, Oi and their own version of Pop-Punk, ensuring the music thrashes around with abandon but still manages to nail a groove down and dig up some slick melodies. But don’t think for one minute these means they have made a break for the mainstream, as this is still a grubby, outspoken piece of work; the vocals have more gravel than the drive of a stately home and the lyrics take aim at a variety of subjects including racists, bigots, politicians, oppression, mental illness and in the memorable speed-rant of “These Are The Things That Don’t Seem Like Fun To Me” pretty much everything else.
IF you have yet to experience 2 Sick Monkeys and you are not too faint of heart, I suggest you do yourself a favour and check this record out; as well as a hell of final statement it also works perfectly as an introduction to one of our most significant and truly heroic underground bands, icons of a scene and jolly nice lads to boot. Or even better, catch them at their last ever gig on December 16th at Swindon’s Level III.
Take a bow Pete and Fred, this is a superb full stop. You will be missed.
All Ears Avow – Skin and Bones EP
OK, answer me this – why aren’t this band huge yet? For years they have been one of the most accomplished bands in the region, yet they manage to sail along un-noticed by the masses whilst exhibiting all the musical traits that even people who don’t like actual music would normally fall for. I don’t get it, but thankfully, the band just belligerently keep plugging away, getting better and better at what they do, producing slick, effortless appearing pop-rock songs again and again.
All the usual All Ears Avow trademarks are here – big riffs, addictive melodies and a fabulous groove, but with this new EP they have taken this formula to even greater heights, concentrating it even further than you think would be possible. This EP is a celebration of all things that make the band who they are, and the joy and fun that this sentiment puts across to the listener is infectious, so do yourself and the band a favour and join in the celebration.
Footnote
Great bands do not spring fully formed onto the stage of arenas and stadiums. They cut their teeth and hone their craft at small venues, often for years, building the following that will put them on those big stages. Therefore, it is with great disappointment I see that seminal Oxford venue The Cellar is once again threatened with closure, a venue that played a key part in the history of bands like Foals and Supergrass, making them the outfits that they became. By the time of going to press unfortunately the crowdfund to enable them to install a new fire-escape to ensure they can keep a commercial capacity will have closed and it will either have been successful or we will have lost another venue. The situation is of course more complex than this, but it does in effect boil down to a simple fact – support these places and the bands that inhabit them. The music scene is like a food chain in a delicate eco-system. Take out one of the bottom layers of it and the whole thing withers and dies. So get out and take in a few smaller gigs. I promise, you will love it.
The Unwise Monkey 