I know the recommendation
for Shock Horror came from Ed Auletta, but I swear he wasn't on Twitter at the
time. I think he posted something about them on Instagram, and then someone
else (probably Frank Iero) tweeted that. I had heard good things about Ed, and
it was reasonable to believe he had good taste in bands. So, it may have been a
more roundabout path than usual to today's review, but it still works,
especially for October.
Shock Horror doesn't merely
have a name that sounds Halloween-adjacent; they describe themselves as
Halloween-themed. That may be more obvious in tracks like "Make Mine A
Frankenstein" and "Sunsets Are For Muggings", but there are more
existential horrors too, like "Teenage Ruts" and "My Favorite
Band Broke Up Today (I'm Not Okay)".
(I can't swear to that
being a My Chemical Romance reference, but the timing is such that it could
be.)
The Yorkshire band delivers its thrash punk beautifully. I
feel things like speed and in your face aggression. Stepping back I know they
could be faster or more aggressive, but that wouldn't make the songs better, so
what they are instead is right. Good. Satisfying. Maybe fun, sometimes, except
you can think about things that are more serious with it. But then you could also
just listen to the guitar and drums instead of over-thinking it.
Except Shock Horror does
appear to be thinking, embracing a punk ethos inspired by Ian MacKaye that
includes making their music available readily and freely. Their Blame The Parents EP can be found on Soundcloud, Reverbnation,
and YouTube, though Youtube appears to lack an additional song "You're
Just A...".
I can easily go ahead and
recommend listening to the music simply because it is good, especially if you
like punk. Beyond that, there has been a lot of warm fuzziness with feelings of
connection. People I like, like this band, or like people that like this band,
and then this band likes other people I like, and reminds me of yet additional
bands I like. For example, "Teenage Ruts", whether intentionally or
not, makes me think of The Ruts, but if you remind me of them and mention Ian
MacKaye, then I am also going to think of Henry Rollins.
And yes, everyone
mentioned so far is at least punk-adjacent, and when things get so warm and fuzzy
that it is basically kitten hugs that may not seem very punk rock, but
connection and community is, so it all works out.
(Perhaps this is where I
mention that the closest I have come to interacting with Ed Auletta was when I
gave Frank Iero some Chocodiles to pass on to him. Corporate brands and junk
food, but consideration of others too; punk can work in mysterious ways.)
Anyway, it's a good band,
check them out.
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