I like it when I get this kind of stuff for review, cos there isn’t enough of it around these days. I’m talking about fast punk rock – in this case mixed up with some nice skacore and a lovely London accent. Back when I first got involved in the UK punk scene, you couldn’t go to a gig without someone playing this stuff. But it got less trendy, and it’s the purists these days still pedalling it. And I really hope they never stop
Near The Knuckle sound like a cross between Capdown and Suicide Machines to me, with a vocalist who reminds me a bit of Mr Itch Fox from King Blues. They move from old school So Cal sound to dub in these 5 tunes, and a few places in between, before settling into a couple of skacore tunes at the end. The lyrics are sometimes a bit inane (‘Bouncer’ about not getting into a club your mates get into) but it sounds like everything is done with a whole heap of conviction.
This lot would go down a treat with a nice slot of rebellion festival. Anyone else who still plays this way, send your stuff this way. Reminds me why I started doing this shit. Lovely stuff.
Mike