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"Punk is dead", I think someone said before, and they'd be right. Oh, I'm not talking about punk music: few and far between, there are bands out there making good interesting punk music, however they are overpowered by the majority. No, what I mean is that the original meaning of punk is long gone - the "FUCK YOU!" attitude of not bowing to corporate record labels and major businesses more interested in demographics than pushing musical boundaries, has long since been put aside, and punk music and the image it once formed is being sold to kids on a daily basis in handy, radio-friendly chunks.
Don't believe me? Take a look back at some of the past issues of almost any music magazine and count how many My Chemical Romance interviews and/or articles they are, influencing a whole generation of 14 year old idiots who think wearing Atticus black and pink eyeliner (even the boys! It almost makes them look as retarded as Vernon Kay with his mouth open) somehow makes them a rebel or part of a minority when in fact they infest every town centre in the world.
With this in mind it's great to see bands like Tired Irie making interesting music and not going down the "fame with children" route. Even in its raw form, this two track demo shows the amazing quality that this band possesses. The first track is an instrumental monster that ambles along in a menacing fashion before hitting a bass-driven DEFCON 1 midway, then bringing everything down to a melodic conclusion. It’s a testament to their impressive range of songs that they get through many sets without this track. Second track 'Sputnik vs. Apollo' shows what Tired Irie are all about: more melodic Youthmovie Sountrack Strategies-style guitar work (in fact they are the first signing to Al Youthmovie’s label), but this is no instrumental, and the dual vocal melody on this track would even make Low turn their heads for a second and take note. Tired Irie seem to have a penchant for catchy post rock tunes and 'Sputnik vs. Apollo' is a great example of that.
Don’t let the music fool you, Tired Irie are punk, they’re doing things their way and as long as they keep producing music like this, long may it continue. Keep 'em peeled.
Ali Safavi
Tired Irie's website |
| Coding: Darren Burrows