I’m sure you’ve all been wondering that. The answer is more of the same of course. There are ageing punks out there still releasing records, and that’s what I’ve been buying. That said it’s not been the best year for me for music. Part of that has been due to wyngate jnr of course, who is generally either wanting attention or asleep – neither are ideal for giving a pile of 7”s a proper listen (7”s still a favourite format for old punks). For some reason it also seems to be getting harder to find stuff with the continued rise of the internet. I know the opposite is supposed to be true, but the diy distros that stocked loads of stuff have gradually disappeared and everything seems to be more fragmented. I’ve also not heard many new bands that have done much for me, and those that have are usually new bands formed by people who have been around for years in other bands so that doesn’t quite count. Anyway here’s some of the stuff I’ve been sneaking off to listen to on flimsy pretexts

LOST CHEREES – HUNG, DRAWN & QUARTERED EP
I nearly didn’t get this but at the last minute thought I’d risk a few quid and picked it up from a stall at Rebellion– there’s always ebay after all, I reasoned. It turned out to be my favourite release of 2012. The Lost Cherees are an old anarcho band, although they went in for melodies and female harmonies (3 singers!) rather than buzzsaw guitars and ranting. This time round they sound a bit punkier and are down to one female vocalist, new member Sonja. And very nicely she sings as well – “I want to see you hung , drawn and quartered like an animal”. Yes it’s one of an increasing list of “waiting for Thatcher to die” songs. The EP also features another good new song Cut, a great re-recording of one of their oldies Living In A Coffin , and then for some reason Cut with the vocals rerecorded in Finnish. An unexpectedly brilliant record , hope there’s more on the way.

THE WANKYS – POUNDLAND 7″
What do you do when you’ve formed as a faithful, albiet tongue-in-cheek tribute to Japanese noise punk , released a load of records , gigged and recorded with some of your favourite Japanese bands, gigged around the world, and generally hurt the ears of anyone who’s come to see you live? You could always write a bit of a tune this time round, and look for lyrical ideas at your local bargain emporium. Appropriately there was no expense spent on the promo clip!

EAST TOWN PIRATES  – EAST TOWN PIRATES CD
Like anyone else , ageing punks are not averse to dressing up as pirates and saying “aghhh”. This bunch of scurvy sea dogs have been busy raiding the live circuit around Ipswich for a couple of years. Their line up includes former members of punk landlubbers Red Flag 77, an old favourite of mine. The album is an interesting mish mash,  I can hear bits of the Dropkick Murphys, the Clash, garage punk, pop punk, oi and just possibly AC DC. Because of this it’s hard to pick a representative track, but this is one of the best, a sort of folk punk ballad about a local historical figure and victim of a miscarriage of justice.

ENGLISH DOGS – GET OF MY FUCKING MOON EP
As I noted in my Back To No Future post a few months back English Dogs have a tangled history, and it’s recently got even more tangled. Not only has original frontman Wakey formed a new line-up after a messy falling out, but some of the other originals are now touring the US as the metal version of English Dogs. Avoid! Unless you are Chinny!
This is the Wakey version and this EP came out in 2011, although it managed to slip under my radar until this year. Good old fashioned hardcore punk with slight metal leanings made unique as usual by the loveably bonkers Wakey. I would post the more manic lead track, Hotter Than A W****’s C***, but this is The Spill and I intend to maintain some decorum. Instead here’s the chugging  heaviness of  Class War, with Wakey looking like an urban guerrilla version of Compo from Last Of The Summer Wine

SICK ON THE BUS / ENGLISH DOGS – DOG SICK EP
English Dogs have been having a flurry of activity, and this year released a split EP with fellow grizzled old punks Sick On The Bus. None of the Dogs tracks have yet appeared on youtube, which is disappointing as it’s another fine example of Wakey’s madness (the version of Shot By Both Sides is quite entertaining ). The Sick On The Bus songs are just as good though – snotty obnoxious stuff from men old enough to know better, and who clearly like their Motorhead. Songs with titles like Drink Now Pay Later and High Friends In Low Places neatly summarise their philosophy on life. Here they are still giving the overly-pc section of the punk scene the proverbial finger.

Part 2 to follow soon ….