Pirates Press Records – 20 May 2022
Booze & Glory celebrate the power and glory of punk on their new EP.
For me, Booze & Glory is a tale of two bands. There’s the version that plays some killer street punk, which I enjoy, and the version that plays reggae, which I’m not really into. It’s not Booze & Glory’s fault, I’m just not really into reggae. (I can make an exception if I’m drinking on a beach somewhere.) When I saw Raising the Roof, my eyes and ears perked up immediately. My eyes because it LOOKS like a punk record, and my ears because it definitely SOUNDS like a punk record.
Beyond the overall look and sound, Raising the Roof is a celebration of all the things that make punk great. The title track is the first of the London quartet’s four new songs. It’s all about how we need to get back to, well, raising the roof. After a couple of difficult years, it’s something we all want to hear. “Betrayed” has a slightly different tone, but ultimately has a positive, “don’t let the bastards grind you down” type of message.
“C’est La Vie” is a great catchy street punk song, again with an upbeat attitude. Booze & Glory save the best song for last with “The Streets I Call My Own”. Try not to sing along. It’s futile to resist. You’ll wish there was more. Raising the Roof is another reminder that we all need to let go of the bile we’ve been building up the last couple of years. We might as well be enjoying some loud punk rock while we do our purging.
For vinyl fiends: In another time, this four song EP may very well have been released as a 7-inch. The artwork alone will make you glad it wasn’t. It’s got some great full color skeleton punks enjoying a rowdy show at a dive bar. It’s available on oxblood or mustard colored 12-inch 45 RPM vinyl, and comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve.
Booze & Glory at the Pirates Press Records website.
Part-time punk writer, suburban dad and angry old man. Follow my adventures on the Punk Till I Die podcast!
