2016 hasn’t been a particularly vintage year for new music for me so far, or maybe my view is just being tainted by the fact that the year seems hellbent on polishing off any musician I like who is over 50 years old. With the odd exception, Gregory Porter Take Me To The Alley and the Earthless/Harsh Toke split LP, I’ve got most of kicks from reissues and old shite so far.
Enter the Zig-Zags Running Out Of Red.
I was having an awful day on friday when my chum Andy had to drag me forcibly to the mighty Probe Records at lunchtime where I flicked listlessly through the new releases section looking for some kind of epiphany, when I stumbled across a stark black and red cover and a band I’d never heard of before. The hand-written Probe label on the cover promised ’80s thrash metal mixed with a NWOBHM sensibility’, I knew the record label Castleface were good and there was a track on the LP called ‘The Sadist’ and another called ‘No Brains, No Balls’. Sold! Sold! Sold!
Now I’ve been hurt this way before, but not this time. Running Out Of Red is just a brilliant shot of rock from the superb opener ‘They Came For Us’ with its brash Hawkwind-style riff, through to, personal fave, the punk metal ‘Afraid Of The Dark’. This gave me just the right amount of rock kicks and raw anger to banish a really pants day from memory, very therapeutic and really well-played too. Plus as a big personal bonus for me there is some awesome swearing going down, particularly on the track that references an alien ‘mutant with three tits’; it’s just like the Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ without any of the sentiment, or piano and more thrash stoner metal about mutant boobies. Hurrah!
This is from the previous album, but I had to put it here because it just rocked my little world. Clearly some huge zaibatsu has pumped quintillions of dollars into this:
I’ve not played anything else since Friday, hell, why would I? Running Out Of Red is a brilliant primitive blast of an album. The Zig-Zags are clearly an enormous force for good and righteousness in our world and I can’t wait until they get to play next year as the half-time entertainment at Superbowl LI. Remember you read it here first.
667 Down (still)
PS: This was good too – the drummer’s T-shirt earns them 1537 bonus points:
I plan to share your post in my blog https://hellocreativestimes.com. Since you have enabled sharing on your post, I am assuming that you are allowing others to share this post. However, if you have any objection to sharing your post, please let us know as soon as possible. Thank you.
🙂
No problem at all, I’m flattered. All I ask is that you set a link to my blog and give the appropriate credits. Cheers.
Yes, Of course. Thanks for giving me permission. 🙂
I like the sharing of boobies. It gets me all tingly.
I think in these troubled times we live in, it’s a necessity.
It can be a real handful sometimes. Please do keep me abreast of the peaks and valleys.
(tries reallyhard to do clever word play along the lines of Nipple/Nepal … gives up)
Sorry about that. Not to change the subject, but I think my car needs some attention. I heard a lot of moaning while the milk jugs were set upon my seat. I think I need to grease the nipples.
They would be awesome to see live.
hmmmm
Gosh, if only there was a remote chance of that happening at all.
Nice dudes too, they just did a funny interview for me.
I like this. Definitely the kind of tunage to banish shabby Fridays. Shabby any days, actually.
It’s angry, its funny and it really rocks. I don’t need anything else.
A timely replacement for that AC/DC lot, by the sounds of it …
Does head-banging lead one to become a ‘Brainded Warrior’? Just askin’.
Over vigorous headbangin’ at too young an age does.
2016 hasn’t been a great vintage for me either. Definitely been a year for looking back and catching up with old favourites!
I’m saving to get the Free box set, which sadly (and I’m going to complain to advertising standards here) is anything but!
A new Free box? Oohh… do tell!
It’s nothing too exciting, if you own any Free (which I don’t) – just all the LPs up to (and including) Heartbreaker in a nice box. I really want it.
Nice. I’ll pass then. Got all their albums on the shiny discs.
Get thee behind me Santa!
Hahahaha Santa… he’s so evil… probably just frustrated though,as he only comes once a year.
You’d like this crew btw.
Haha, you had me at no brains no balls – sounds promising!
It’s on my family coat or arms – true story.
I too shall await their Super Bowl half-time appearance.
I’ll keep an eye out for these guys! Cheers!
They’re brilliant, I’d draw parallels to The Shrine.
“Plus as a big personal bonus for me there is some awesome swearing going down, particularly on the track that references an alien ‘mutant with three tits’; it’s just like the Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ without any of the sentiment, or piano and more thrash stoner metal about mutant boobies. Hurrah!”
That’s all I needed to hear.
Job done.
Go get yourself a pint. You’ve earned it. 😉
I believe it’s supposed to spelled “Bewbies”. Really digging that Braindead Warrior tune! Reminds me of NWOBHM riffage. Fucking brilliant.
Yes! They really saved my life on Friday! Their newer stuff is even better. Trust me , I’m a doctor. Well, sort of, in a way which doesn’t actually involve being a doctor at all.
I’d like to get this on Silver Disc Thing actually. Impress my friends with a band they’d love if they’d even heard of them.
If they didn’t like this I’d tell ’em that they couldn’t be friends with you any more.
That seems reasonable.
BEWBIES!