VIOLENT REACTION SHIRTS

The new 7" from the UK's Violent Reaction is due within the next week or so on Quality Control and Static Shock Records, and at the same time Rain On The Parade out of Canberra will be issuing an Australian edition of the EP on cassette. Exclusive to the Oz version is artwork by a good mate Jack. I liked the art so much that with the bands permission I had it printed on a really limited run of shirts. These are available in Australia for $15 postage paid and internationally for $20 Australian dollary doos. I suspect most of these will remain in this country but I am happy to send to the former colonies if demand is warranted. Sizes run S, M, L. Send an email or just straight up paypal to- stylecat19@hotmail.com. Be sure to include your full postal address and required shirt size. Bulk orders attract better postal rates obviously.

USELESS LAW

I've been on a bit of a demo hunt over the last few days and in that time I've managed to find some bangers. Perhaps I'm a bit behind the ball on a few of these though?

Wolfsblood from Canada up first. I just read their interview in the latest issue of Counterfeit Garbage Fanzine and was compelled to give their two demo tapes a go. They take a stab at a pretty tried Boston sound with both tapes. The first tape has a pretty low-fi sounding recording but it's certainly got it's own merit. Their second demo certainly steps it up a whole lot. You can still purchase it at Grave Mistake.

This morning Static Shock Records put up for sale a handful of new demos by bands that I hadn't heard about yet. I was primarily drawn in by the debut recording from a band out of Dublin called Disguise only because they are comprised of members of a well documented favourite of mine, Crowd Control. This demo is basically a tribute to Japanese hardcore. If you like Bastard you will like this demo. If you like the massive delay in Andy's vocals on that last CC LP you will also like this demo. You can download it here, and buy it here.

M.F.P. are from Boston and play... you guessed it, Boston hardcore. Not sure if it's by the usual suspects or not, but regardless it's pretty ripping. This edition that SS is selling is a secondary version, the first having sold out earlier in the year.

Featuring members from previous Californian band come record label, Video Disease, Stoic Violence are self described as an early Boston crew/NYHC orientated bunch of misfits fronted by a vocalist that would have been more suited to a band like Die Kreuzen. There's a certain Boston vibe going on here, but they also definitely slide into that stark outsider punk territory spear headed by various Washington classics like Void. Buy it here or here.

The Flex demo has been doing the rounds for a few months now and I had been meaning to get my hands on my own copy, I was just perhaps a bit lazy about it. Well since SS threw some up this morning along with these other tapes I grabbed it. Expect cool things from this band.

Very behind the ball with the next band I know, but I've just discovered the Clear demo this week and I'm pretty stoked. From what I can tell tapes are long gone, but Triple B Records is currently running pre orders for the 7" version.

Last up, the World War 4 demo. I was just turned onto this last night. Featuring various Boston Nu Scene heavy weights, along with Mark Porter of Floorpunch. If you like that band you should certainly find interest in this. No tapes floating about yet, but apparently they'll be sold at some gig happening this week. Who knows if they'll ever make it available for a reasonable price online. eBay, here comes the fanatics.

Fuck yeah for demos.

BOILING POINT

I guess this is technically the last piece of the puzzle for me in terms of my X-Claim reissues collection. The Exclaim boot/reissue of the first SS Decontrol LP "The Kids Will Have Their Say". Black vinyl. I doubt I need to go into depth about this thing. Not my favourite of the Boston pack, but obviously an essential addition to any real collection. I'm not paying dumb amounts for an OG press, so this boot will be more than enough. I read somewhere that this was suspected to have been pressed by someone in new York, but I'm not sure if that rumour was ever actually substantiated. To my knowledge this is more or less identical to the legitimate version.

SOCIAL PROBLEM

A couple months back, new label out of Sydney, Urbn Rage Records released this all Australian compilation LP, "Split Scene". It's a mixed bag really and hardly what I'd call a good representation of the wider Australian hardcore punk scene, but it certainly presents a good example of a good chunk of the harder bands coming out of our fair land currently. I think I can find interest in about half of the music here, with a couple of really great songs on one hand (tracks by The Weight and Hurt Unit) and then on the other a couple of absolute turds (fuck it, there's only one horrendous song here and it's by Outright). A point I suppose I should make; a couple of bands that I've worked with previously (Downpour, Sick People, Shackles) have made their way onto this thing. Cool.

NOT NOW, NOT EVER

Another piece, and almost the final, to the Extortion puzzle, the transparent cover for their demo 7" from a couple years back. One variant of something like four or five covers that Coffin Cut Records did. Not sure of the numbers for this thing, or for what purpose it served (show release, pre order etc?).

All I really need now are the two limited covers for the split 5" with Rupture that RSR did. Those two have always seemed to elude me.

NO CREDIT

Further to last weeks post regarding the new split LP between Extortion and Cold World, here's the other two colour variants that I mentioned. Red and black, both from RSR direct, unsure of the numbers.