Control - 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life...'

Control - 'Hooligan Rock 'N' Roll'

(Step-1 Music)

As the end of the year approaches most of us will be casting our minds back over the past twelve months in order to compile our annual "Best Of" lists. Deciding just which bands and albums make the final cut can be a harrowing experience. When there's so much quality R'n'R out there it can be painful to have to discard some in favour of others for a space on that hallowed list when there really isn't that much dividing them at all. But thankfully every so often you get one of those gigs or albums that just come out of nowhere and seemingly wipe away nearly all the competition with ease making decision making redundant. 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life... But I Wouldn't Change A Thing' by Control is for me is one of those very albums. At the tail end of July I walked into a Bristol pub for a night of Punk and Oi! with Argy Bargy and The Old Firm Casuals. Control were the night's opening band, an act I was not familiar with but at the end of the night I left clutching a couple of albums which have rarely been far from my stereo since and the then freshly released 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life' is what I now consider to be one of the best albums released this year.

'Punk Rock Ruined My Life... But I Wouldn't Change A Thing' is the second album from the self branded Hooligan Rock 'N' Rollers. A savage and unrelenting 44 minutes of some of the finest Punk Rock you could ever wish to damage your hearing with. 15 tracks seething with bitterness, resentment and hatred towards those who only serve themselves with no care or consideration for others. The targets of Control's vitriol are wide ranging but the gang of five fronted by former Beerzone and Intensive Care guy Iain Kilgallon have the lyrical arsenal and musical muscle to take on each one with pulverizing effect. From Governments who have sold this country and its citizens down the river for the sake of lining their own pockets to the lowest scum of the earth, 'Ian Huntley', all are in the cross hairs of the Control sights and Kilgallon's acid spitting attacks.  'Another Mother's Son' tackles the subject of lawless British streets where feral kids hunt in packs and where vicious knife and gun crime has become a daily normality. 'Chaos In The Community' is the result of the cost effective emptying of the nations mental institutions and 'No Help For Heroes' highlights the disgraceful impact of cuts and penny pinching by pen pushers in the Armed Forces. Soldiers sent to fight with insufficient equipment because balancing the bottom line is more important than expendable human lives.

The press also come in for a kicking from the collective Doc Martens in Control's line up. 'He's a Skinhead' focuses on the misrepresentation of the shaven brigade at the hands of the media. Skins, often painted as violent, uneducated, racist right wing thugs by the guardians of moral decency who think it's fine to hack the phones of murdered children and their parents get in line with Control to stamp out the statement "Skinhead ain't a fashion, it's a way of life!" The final track, 'Soldier Of Misfortune', sees what is almost a ballad for Control taking centre stage and offering a view of war written from behind the eyes of a teenage soldier in World War 1. Like Motorhead's '1916' it's a track that dwells on how young lives are thrown away in the most futile ways. It's still as potent as the rest of the tracks, possibly more so as the foundations are built on the tragedy of blood soaked reality.

"I'm not trying to be controversial, just say what I see" states Iain during '...Skinhead' and it's that forthright honesty and attention to detail that has 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life...' bulging at the seams with bare boned lyrics. Far from coming across as "preachy" Kilgallon's lyrics have instead been crafted by tapping directly into the conciousness of a disaffected nation. Control are simply shouting what everyone is thinking. This album could only have been written in the UK and represents the collective voice of a society let down repeatedly by out of touch leaders and the abusers of positions of trust. 'Job To Do' looks to readdress the injustices and hinges on the actions of a vigilante taking matters into his own hands putting the wrongs right in a country where the law's gone soft on crime. Think Batman with a baseball bat and Harrington and you'll be bang on the money.

It's not all bleak reflection and anger at the erosion of society though as the life force that keeps all of our rockin' flames burning is, after all, music. 'High Time I Hung Up My Boots' is a track full of infectious passion for never giving up on the love of music that's fast and hard and loud. An enthusiastic urgency to the almost barn dancing delivery captivates, while lyrics that are instantly identifiable hit the vein of desire and service the addiction we all feel to the music we love. The autobiographical nature of the title track engages on such a grounded level that it's simply impossible to not be drawn in by the everyday humanity of the lyrics. Giving up the security of a well paid job to follow musical dreams and tour the toilets of the world is a scenario that will be familiar to many. 'Rebellion In My Blood' for me though is the ultimate piece de resistance of 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life...'. Standing for defiance and freewill it defines the concept of Control and goes hand in hand with the confidence and all important abundance of self belief that permeates throughout their fierce barrage of songs that champion the underdog and fight the power.

Put simply, You need this album!

Pick up your CD here: http://www.mainstagemerch.com/control-album-punk-rock-ruined-my-life/

Or treat yourself to some quality vinyl, available in 5 different colours: http://www.mainstagemerch.com/control-album-vinyl-punk-rock-ruined-my-life/

But hang on a minute. 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life...' wasn't the only album I picked up at Argy Bargy's Bristol bash. I also walked out with Control's first album, the devilishly brutal 'Hooligan Rock 'N' Roll'. And it would seem an injustice to just talk about the latest release when it's equally impressive 15 track predecessor is just as magnificent in what it brings to the splintered old table and spits out onto the serving plate.

'Hooligan Rock 'N' Roll' may have a narrower musical spectrum than 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life...' but that certainly doesn't take away from its aggressive power. Whereas the sophomore release has some acoustic elements, hints of country and diversions into ballad territory 'Hooligan...' is all about straight out ear bashin' violence. It's the kind of album you need shin pads and a helmet to listen to in order to protect yourself from its vigorous onslaught. The Riot Police targeted on the cover could indeed be sporting this season's must-have accessories for surviving a live Control show. For 40 minutes concrete riffs and burning lyrics rain down like bricks and petrol bombs igniting thought for the listener and hammering home, should you be in any doubt, just how fucked up everything is right now. The erosion of civil liberties and the resentment towards the protection afforded to criminal elements, be they bankers or burglars, are prime topics for Control's vitriolic outpourings of scorn.

There's a rabidness to the performance that keeps the blood pumping on full throttle throughout and lyrically 'Hooligan...' like 'Punk Rock Ruined My Life' revolves heavily around today's fractured society. 'Welcome To The Nanny State', "Welcome to one fucked up place" says it all really. It's Britain on a tilt like Titanic, hit by political icebergs that are flooding this sinking country with unwanted and unneeded rules and regulations designed to grind down the working man and keep everyone broke and submissive. But fuck that hey, just because you may have no money and an ever decreasing circle of rights within an increasingly controlled "civilisation" doesn't mean you can't bite back while you still at least own your own teeth and again Kilgallon's lyrics bite down hard while the confrontational vibe of the music carries the message of rebellion and freedom like a flaming arrow straight into the heart of the two faced scum who have let this country be 'Sold Down The River'. 

Barking tracks like 'Vigilante' and 'Rollover' are unrestrained in their bludgeoning as bass lines roll like runaway freight trains alongside drums beats striking like plastic bullets. The title track is just as aggressive, full of steel capped boots and attitude, stomping Control's identity out in a flurry of "Football, drugs and beer and sex." They're hooligans and proud of it you know! If I had to name one band who I thought sum up the spirit of Uber Rock in every aspect of their delivery and style then this year I'd certainly be shouting out for Control without a shadow of a doubt. Real, honest and never afraid to say what others only dream of.

With tracks as forthright as 'Stand Up And Fight', 'Nail You Colours To The Mast' and the closing masterpiece of the patriotic 'When The Empire Falls' you know there is no filler anywhere on this album. Every song is worn like a badge of honour with pride and integrity and each second bleeds passion and resistance so please do not overlook these diamonds on your doorstep. Control are a band every self respecting Uber Rocker should have in their lives. Do yourselves a favour and grab a copy of either album or better still both and help spread the word about this fantastic band. Musical therapy of the finest form to remind you that you're not alone out there and certainly not the only one who's fed up and calling for change. Now.......'LET'S GO TO WAR!'

Get 'Hooligan Rock 'N' Roll' on CD here: http://mainstagemerch.co.uk/control-hooligan-rocknroll-album-cd/

Vinyl version: http://mainstagemerch.co.uk/control-hooligan-rocknroll-album-vinyl/