RP AtAll 20 : BARSE

The North East’s favorite sons return with a cracking three tracker. Total ‘77 worship bringing to mind the retarded brilliance of one single no-marks like Squad, Sods, and Puncture, but mixing in some powerpop verve from bands like Buzzcocks and The Boys. Head bobbing stick-in-the-head tunes, the title track being the real winner here (especially for this ex-council tenant!), but all three are worthy.

MRR #237 (TB)

“Council Estate” 7" EP - I normally don’t really go for yobby, traditional UK punk stuff, especially if it happens to fall under some dreaded “streetpunk” definition (for the birds, if you ask me). But... yes, these folks really do it right. Not macho at all, no preaching. Just hooky, bouncable punk rock. I mean, it’s all very authentic sounding and you can tell that they’re not trying to rehash every second-rate UK K-Telish Oi comp or something. These folks get it... and all you fucks who shit over second-rate junk should clean out your ears get hip to Barse.

Amp Magazine (MC)

Yes! I LOVE this shit! Durham, England’s Barse sound SO authentically “UK 1977” that it’s scary! And I mean that in a GOOD way. These blokes have all the raw, snotty, anthemic vigor of a young Slaughter and The Dogs or a less-poppy BOYS, but they don’t sound like rip-offs. They sound like the real thing. It’s as if they just stepped out of a time machine. There are three songs on this record, and they’re all goddamn BRILLIANT. I’m talking fast, tuneful, totally-fucking-great punk rock with real limey vocals. I’m talking bratty, primitive, catchy-as-hell three-chord noise. Barse have it all: style, attitude, and great songs to boot. I could listen to this record all day. God bless the English.

Now Wave Zine (Rutledge)

Jesus, you can’t much more English than this. In fact, to be more ‘77 punk than Barse, you’d have to be in your mid-40’s and on your second liver. As such, you’ve got thick-as-a-brick accents, single string, 20 second guitar solos, singalong hooligan-baiting choruses, and songs about living in the projects (it sucks), living in Chelsea (it sucks), and having nothing to do (it sucks). I always figured this particular brand of stomp n’ roll would’ve run it’s course with the first handful of Slaughter and the Dogs and Peter and the Test Tube Babies singles a few decades ago. Well, silly fuckin’ me. Punk, it seems, still ain’t dead. Oi on, Barse, Oi on.

Sleazegrinder