EP assessment
LUMP: Previous Punk Daze (self-released)
Restricted version CD/ DL
Launched 9 Sept 2022
LUMP are from the sleepy Wiltshire Metropolis of Salisbury. Fashioned and fronted by native music scene veteran and legend in his personal lunch-hour Colin Holton. They’re the self-proclaimed Saviours of rock n roll and pioneers of Mongrel Rock – singing songs about folks, locations and issues in Salisbury. Our reviewer Ged Babey went to grammar faculty within the metropolis from 1975 alongside the Beast from The Chase and Ralph Fiennes. They have been Bishop Wordsworth Boys.. which simply occurs to be the title of one of many songs on this EP.
Salisbury story tellers Lump are again with a a lot anticipated new recording; together with a nostalgic journey down reminiscence lane concerning the heyday of punk rock in Salisbury, world warming; a track about discovering an Iceberg in Fisherton road! and one about being a Bishop Wordsworth Boy!!
Salisbury grew to become well-known worldwide just a few years again for the Novichok poisonings of Russian ex-pats within the metropolis centre. How did native satirical previous punks LUMP reply? Did they write a humanitarian anthem, condemning Putin and calling for ‘peace’? No, they wrote a track referred to as Greggs lamenting the closing down for six entire weeks of the well-known bakery chain store because of the incident! (It’s on their Quintessential English Scandal EP)
Colin Holton, who has been in bands within the metropolis because the late 1970’s (the QT’s and Mad Cow Illness being essentially the most well-known) describes LUMP songs as “not-too-serious social commentaries about residing in Salisbury”. In different phrases, they take-the-piss, with a singular Sarum je ne sais quoi.
LUMPs line-up consists of former members of 90’s UK industrial steel pioneers Mad Cow Illness, unique punks ‘London’ and Paul Dianno’s punk-rock aspect mission, ‘The Almighty Inbredz. Says Mr Holton, making an attempt to provide an informative account of the band-members pedigree.
In addition to Nick on bass and one other Colin on drums, the present line-up consists of guitarist Ian Browne, perpetually recognized domestically as Skid Marx, for causes greatest stored unstated. Skid performed a pivotal function in my punk-rock schooling, taking part in in Kinetic NRG – the primary unsigned, impartial, unrecorded and unknown punk band I ever noticed play reside: supporting The Psychological (later members of Subhumans) and Winchesters The Irritations on the Sarum ’76 youth-club sort venue in Salisbury in 1978. They performed the Lurkers Be My Prisoner so have been subsequently completely godlike on the time -cos at 14, residing within the sticks with no cash, I used to be by no means gonna get the see the precise Lurkers. Two of Kinetic NRG wore glasses like me and had Lurkers-length hair (the Clements brothers), the singer, Alex, was a skinhead-type who appeared extra like Esso and Ian Skid Browne was the leather-jacketed guitarist. Coolest dude on the town.
Nicely, aside from Tom Imprecise and Perry Harris clearly, as a result of they produced the native fanzine, the legendary Imprecise.
The one two Salisbury punk’n’new wave period bands to make it onto vinyl within the Seventies have been the Kitchens and The QT’s.
The Kitchens performed the Sarum 76 gig and I bear in mind them being ‘a bit too arty’ (as in Speaking Heads/Tv reasonably than Pistols/Conflict) for my younger tastes, however not less than they featured a really cool bassplayer – the legendary Ruth Jones. She was in all probability oblivious to her standing amongst (Grammar College) boys just a few years youthful than her, as our native Gaye Advert/Tina Weymouth equal. She continues to be lively within the Salisbury music/arts scene and nonetheless our poster-girl and to not be confused with the Gavin & Stacey actress.
The QT’s who I truly can’t bear in mind ever seeing reside – regardless that I should’ve have been a keyboard-lead band just like the Stranglers and their Dave Greenfield was the bearded Frogg Moody -now an area historian, writer and Ripper authority. Colin Holton was bassist within the QT’s – which brings us again to the lead monitor on the Lump EP.
Previous Punk Daze is lower than 2 minutes and a whirlwind journey again to the ‘cider haze’ of 1977-79, full with Ramones and QT’s namechecks, 1-2-3-4’s and a guitar solo suspicious just like the Benny Hill chase-sequence theme!
Iceberg In Fisherton Avenue is a track about apathy to local weather change which pokes enjoyable at Bono, the Royals and Greta and takes the chance to incorporate a point out considered one of Salisburys most well-known and standard streets or ‘cultural hubs’ as they’re referred to as these days.
The monitor which I used to be most intrigued to listen to is Bishop Wordsworths Boy – seeing as I used to be one.
William ‘Lord of the Flies’ Golding taught there, Mark ‘the Beast’ Labbett, Ralph Fiennes and I all attended at roughly the identical time and so far as locals have been involved the college was stuffed with stuck-up swots and ‘Bishops Wankers’ in line with rival schoolkids.
And you then had the weird forged of lecturers (or ‘masters’) with nicknames like Piggy (Mr Gammon) Polly (Mr Perrett) and Olive (Mr Grove). Sweat (Woodwork trainer – self-explanatory). Groucho (appeared just like the Marx Brother) Tich (lacked peak) and Galen, a hirsute, bearded Physics trainer who actually did bear an uncanny resemblance to the tv ape.
The boys have been addressed by their surnames, which was fab when your title is pronounced ‘Child’ – and had equally bizarre nicknames: Neufty, Bear, Ebo, Lurch .. or perhaps that was simply my mates? There have been a number of future Lord Snootys and Leaders of Mens among the many BWS boys it must be mentioned.
However a long time on, LUMP are envious!
And I want, I want I used to be, a Bishop Wordsworth Boy… goes the track and takes the college motto, Veritas in Caritate – and the interpretation, Fact In Love, because the refrain. It’s a neat little new-wave pop track and like the remainder of the EP would’ve been on Stiff Information had it come out in 1978 and been a novelty-hit alongside Wreckless Eric, Jona Lewis and Tenpole Tudor.
Rugger is rhymed with bugger. A choirboy vocal offers strategy to a extra ‘bollocksy’ voice, and it truly is a catchy little quantity. South Wilts Ladies get a short point out for sure!
LUMP have been was cartoon characters of their fabulous art-work.
Nostalgia, singalong tunes and taking the mick is what LUMP do – and so they do it properly. A cracking little EP and nice to see the Salisbury punk technology are nonetheless doing their bit within the culture-war towards boredom and pipe & slippers previous age.
LUMP will probably be acting at a particular launch occasion TONIGHT Friday September ninth at Brown Avenue. They are going to be joined by Sunny Jim Cyanide and the Keyless Locksmiths who will probably be making their debut. Free entry, 7.30pm
‘Previous Punk Daze’ the brand new EP from LUMP will probably be accessible from midnight on Friday September ninth on all main obtain websites. ALSO accessible on restricted version CD format on the present.
LUMP Fb
All phrases Ged Babey
