When a packet drops on the mat with nothing more than a message written on the back I'm intrigued. When I saw that Strawdogs were encouraged by Step 1 to send it I knew it was safe to open it up and shove it in my player, with little to go on apart from the music and an explanation that this was recorded in a cheap back street studio. 

It's obvious from the quality of the recording that it was done on the cheap but put that to one side because the music is street smart and full of anger. Not as full throttle as some of their counterparts in this genre with songs like 'White Ammunition' having some tidy melodies and backing vocals going on. 'Hearts Of Thunder', again, isn't fast, in fact it's a bit of a chug but its delivery is very much from the Ruts mould, again with some neat melodies and a great bass chug.
 
I don't think the "Demo" quality of the recordings takes anything away from the music, in fact songs like 'UK PLC' benefit from the grit and as it happens might just be my pick of the bunch on offer here,with just enough UK Subs going on in the songwriting department which can never be a bad thing.
 
There is a certain menace about this record and the fact that it sort of flies in the opposite direction to a lot of its contemporaries by using female backing vocals on a few of the numbers and slowing the songs down is refreshing. Perhaps the embodiment of street punk if you like. Music by the working class for the working class. Whilst the familiar themes are covered I wouldn't mind hearing these boys put through their paces in a new modern studio with a big fat sound; I'd bet some of these would be brutal, like 'Factory Gates' or 'Strength Of A Nation'.
 
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this and apart from the obvious recording standards the music captured is pretty bloody good so if you like your Oi! street punk then check it out and invest in a little time to immerse yourself in the music.

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