Friday, October 27, 2017

Band Review: Shock Horror


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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