02 Dec 2023
A band from a do-nothing town in the middle of nowhere do something good.
Somewhere not too far from the Mandela Way postal sorting office, between St Mary Magdalen social club and The Blue, lies a thin old road that insinuates itself into a man's pub rotation. Like a perversely benign cancer, the visits to Pat's Victoria Inn multiply and fester. It was here on the last day of 2023 as I stumbled out and on to another house of ill repute, that an amateur rendition to the chorus of ‘‘Cheesy Chips'' could be heard at full blast, drowning out the mournful muttering of streetlights, disapprovingly overseen by the CCTV jockey overlords. ‘'It don't let the sun go down on you / don't let the sun go down on this town…'' The lineaments of the City are saturated with the refrains already. A belated Happy New Year to one and all.
It took until December, but the best album of 2023 had finally arrived, Dinlos by Sweet Jonny, and who was I to waste time not indulging in acapella gang vocals to the tunes already locked into semi-conscious inebriation? As frontman and guitarist Tom Backshall bellows on the riotous ‘'Bois'' ‘'From the tinny I nicked / to the bike I skivved / C'mon then bois!'' Here we have a turbulent new brew of frenzied rock n roll, thrashy garage punk, anthemic pub rock and hard hitting Oi. This second full-length from the Brighton based hooligans is both a heavier bombardment than the previous LP, yet contains more nuanced musical intricacies, experimentation, and wider lyrical exploration.
‘'Hillians'' is the band's heroic, lager-fuelled ode to various hometown Burgess Hill delinquents, kicking the album off with acidic guitar licks punctuated by Jonny Pinder's high energy drumming. The manic psychobilly assault on the senses of ‘‘I Hate'' perhaps showcases the band's staple sound even better though. Gruffer than The Meteors and with more captivating melodies than the Long Tall Texans, this is exciting stuff. A deliciously disturbed manifesto of lunacy, incorporating scorching guitar solos and hammering beats.
‘'Concrete'' is Backshall's sarcastic tribute for slum landlords, inflated rents and the cheapskate UK housing provision circus in general, ‘'Just another day in paradise / it feels so funny I just cannot seem to laugh…'' Lyrically, the album blends raw English street storytelling, imaginative characterisation, biting social commentary and chants of brutish subcultural pride. The amalgamation of musical influences only serves to compliment this twist of flavours.
Lead single ‘'Banger Racer,'' with its expansive vocals that crescendo supremely to a suitably massive chorus, makes for a sure-fire instant classic. But compositions like the bleak and gut-wrenching ‘‘Scour'' (seemingly reminiscent of a punker Mike Skinner's The Streets), the darker toned ‘‘King of Comedy'', or the working-class grunge funeral march of ‘‘Forget Me Not'' reveal subtler shades of poetry and song writing talent that cannot be overlooked.
If that wasn't enough, ‘‘Pay The Piper'' offers up a moody bassline that twinkles and burns underneath a rhythmic groove, guitar taking a backseat before a discordant blues lead is unleashed. A further string to their bow. It was a roughly a decade ago that Alex Brindle (Flying Medallions, Wonk Unit, etc.) recommended me Sweet Jonny after chancing upon them at a Deptford pub gig. I remember enjoying the punk leaning rockabilly sounds, reminding me of The Peacocks, just a very British version. Not veering into psychobilly cliché, but firmly grounded in catchy garage rock n roll.
Being a regular punter at their gigs since, I've heard the growth in their sound. An evolution into something far more interesting and consummate that is self-evident in this album. That being said, there are another four strong EPs and a live session recording that I‘ll keep returning to as well. And it is with a live version indeed of ‘‘Fuck The Pain Away'' that this album concludes. A brooding racket with nimble tempo changes throughout. Magnificent closer.
A special mention for the cover artwork from Joss Athey on the record, which is a triumphant Anglo scene of weekend carnage. Physical copies soon to be available from the band and at gigs. In the meantime, check Bandcamp, Spotify, Facebook. There's also a youtube for videos including the latest smasher for ‘‘Banger Racer''.