Vinyl Eddie Records – 11 Feb 2023
Old school punks try an old school approach to promotion (ffo: early 70s punk bands with one 7″)
Late last year, our fearless editor put out an interesting offer. “Anyone want to review a record? You’ll get a physical copy of the record, but you need to have a record player.” Because I have a vinyl problem, I was quick to respond that I have three.
And so Jeff provided my address to the folks at Vinyl Eddie Records. After they handed the 12” EP off to the Royal Mail, I waited… and waited… and waited.
It turns out that trying to get anything between the US and the UK has been rather difficult lately. After much waiting, the record arrived at my door so I could plunk it on the record player in my basement.
Snapblades are two-piece punk outfit from the old city of York, England. Matt “Smell” Keeley plays bass while Dan “Gottie” Gott plays both drums and guitars (which must makes gigging difficult).
Snapblades proceeds from the following manifesto: “No social media. No streaming. No Bullshit”. The band proceeds to explain that they’re experimenting to determine whether people find music without being spoonfed by an algorithm. As such, they are eschewing most of the trappings of the modern music industry. Maybe, just maybe, That’s Good Enough For Them.
So that’s an approach. How is the music?
In reading my colleagues’ reviews, the opening track “Panto” is often compared to the sound and the fury of an early Motorhead. Dropping the needle on the record, I imagine that Snapblades sound like what would happen if Wattie (The Exploited) wandered into the White Stripes’ practice room in the late nineties.
Another of the four originals, “Flowers & Thorns”, features vocal contributions by both members. Instead of the garage rock feel of the opener, this sounds more like Wattie was invited to sing in the studio for the first Clash record. This song exemplifies Snapblade’s early punk sound, which suitably scratches this particular itch.
The end of each side of the record, the Snapblades grace us with a cover. On side A, the band plays “Broken Toys” by Flint, which is neither the band birthed from the ashes of Grand Funk Railroad or the Prodigy punk side project. Instead, it’s an early punk band from the town of Tadcaster forgotten to all but Smell and Gottie. On the b-side, they cover “Anti-Social” by Media Control, a group that defies my skillful searching and even the wizened vinyl nerds at Discogs.
Harkening back to the , there’s a bonus track on the album, but mums the word on that from the reviewer. You’ll have to order from Vinyl Eddie’s (link) and then wait for the Crown to deliver it to your door. (A little waiting won’t kill you.)
YO VINYL NERDS: Come closer, as this release is right up your alley. No compact disc, no streaming, barely a music video to be found. There’s a very limited edition green and pink record (100 copies), as well as a slightly less limited edition black vinyl version (150 copies).
Once hailing from the salty tundra of Syracuse, NY, Ben now calls the DC suburbs his home. He fell in love with punk after listening to Punk-O-Rama 3, Less Than Jake and MXPX in middle school. He loves to slam dance but is too large to stage dive.
When he’s not pretending to have exquisite musical taste, he’s raising two children, designing RPG products and practicing law. (Who knows if he’ll ever get the hang of it.)
