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Baldwin, Baldock, Brocker and Bleach Boys

12/20/2016

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PictureFur Cough From The Grave - slime green edition
​Friday 2nd December saw me attend a Bleach Boys gig at the Rose & Crown pub in Baldock. Regular readers will know that I am a long standing fan of the band (many other articles can be found on this site). It has obviously taken me a while to get around to writing this post, my only excuse is that December has flashed past and I don’t know where the time has gone (no doubt caused by a heady mix of stress and inexorably increasing age). Though the gig is history, the impact is still current (more about that in a moment).

The band has been touring to promote its latest release entitled “Fur Cough from the Grave” (for reference, The Bleach Boys were initially called “The Fur Coughs”). The LP, dedicated to former front man Simon Kelly who died last year, was manufactured by Rave Up (an Italian label) and includes a splattering of vintage tracks that were apparently discovered on some old reel-to-reel tapes in a band member’s attic.

Returning to the gig; bearing in mind how late this post is, you won’t be surprised to hear that I got to the pub a bit late on the 2nd too. 

Upon my arrival, circa 9:45pm, the support band Brocker was still playing. I had never come across Brocker before - the guys reminded me a bit of Green Day just more genuine-punk than pop-punk.

The three-member outfit from St. Albans was well into its stride but I was able to catch the last four or five tracks.

The penultimate tune (not including the encore) entitled “One Man Moshpit” was so good that after the set was done, I bought the band’s CD “Out of Order” from the bass player.

The album is a ten song tour-de-force and I love it. Having purchased the CD at the gig, it was constantly revolving in my car’s CD player until last Wednesday (told you the gig’s impact was still current). The Bleach Boys have a heritage that harks back to birth of the punk movement but bands like Brocker represent the future of the genre.

The Bleach Boys took to the floor (because there wasn’t a stage) at about 10:30pm. The fellas rampaged their way through 22 tracks, see set list below:

  1. You Can’t
  2. Wako
  3. Taking the ‘O’ out of country
  4. We Hate You
  5. Stealth Bomber
  6. Pogo
  7. Nuclear War
  8. Kill all Celebrities
  9. Chloroform (old version)
  10. Tapeworm
  11. Guantanamo
  12. Death List
  13. Weirdo
  14. Shithead
  15. Cardboard Cut Outs
  16. Zombie
  17. All Over You
  18. Stocking Clad NDSB
  19. Slapper
  20. Psycho
  21. We’ve Got The Bomb
  22. Move It (encore)

The Bleach Boys' mosh pit took a while to function, initially Brocker like in terms of its membership, but gradually increasing in scale. For once I didn’t participate in the dancing (unusual for me, many times have I been the one to start it); I had driven down to Baldock from Daventry and was driving home again afterwards. No drinking for me, and in all honesty, being completely sober is not conducive to throwing myself around like a looney. My usual mosh-mates weren't there to encourage me either.

It was okay though because others were less inhibited and/or more inebriated.

I mentioned above that “Fur Cough from the Grave” was released by an Italian label. Well the Bleach Boys' promotional tour included a launch gig in Rome as well. From Baldock to Rome, how’s that for a change of scene - a damn site better than Baldock to Daventry for sure!  

If you want to buy the LP/album, it is available from the band (can be bought at gigs, or via the website) or directly from Rave Up. The first 100 pressings (of a total run of 400) were in a slime green coloured vinyl (a limited edition of a limited edition) – I have one, see picture above. I suspect that they are long gone now, though you might get lucky. The LP will set you back £12 plus £4 P&P (unless you buy it at a gig) from the band, or more if you order it from Italy and pay the international postage.

Track list:
  1. Cardboard Cut Outs
  2. Oral Sex
  3. We Hate the SU
  4. Neutron Taste (previous title for “Nuclear War”)
  5. Stocking Clad NDSB
  6. Chloroform (original version)
  7. Death Before Disco
  8. Chloroform (later version)
  9. Hooligan über Alles
  10. One Toilet Town
  11. Jesus Stole My Underwear
  12. Stocking Clad NDSB (alternative version)
  13. Slapper
  14. Stuff The Jubilee (Live 1977)

It's a bit of a shame that are few of the tracks are duplicated, there are others that could have been used instead. The sound quality on "Stuff The Jubilee" isn't great, but then it was/is a live recording and, on the bright side, is one of three tracks I hadn't heard before. The reverse of the sleeve has a potted history of the band that is worth a read.

Buy one before they are all gone!

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The Bleach Boys http://www.thebleachboys.co.uk/homepage.htm
Rave Up records http://www.raveuprecords.com/eps/the-bleach-boys
Brocker https://www.brocker.band/
Gig photos by Peter Gill 

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