ALBUM REVIEWS
'But not enough of old men on guitars. I thought it was a sham when Club Midway announced they booked Sham 69, but alas, shortly after midnight they took the stage at New Yorks truest punk rock club and dished out all the old hits: If the Kids Are United, Hey Little Rich Boy, Borstal Breakout, Hersham Boys and what have you. They, that is to say, did not include Jimmy Pursey, who left the band in 2006. After last night's show we think the lineup with Whitewood and Dave Parsons, who wrote all those songs, are the real thing, also with the hilariously self-effacing Tim V on vocals. There could have been a bigger crowd for this punk rock legend, considering all the attention punk gets in the media and from the hipsters again. Dudes, you really missed this one.
Sham 69, the Parson line-up: As authentic as it gets'
by Roman Elsener NEW YORK TIMES
I could never have believed that this new incarnation of the legendary SHAM 69 would kick so much arse in 60 mins. Smash it up attitude and the power vocals of the new singer Tim V takes me back to my youth. The album is by true definition the taste of the old SHAM 69 which we knew and loved. The vocal talents of Tim V and his 'genuine' Cockney accents rather bizarrely put Jimmy Purseys to shame. The talents of Purseys old songwriting partner Dave Parsons have been sadly overlooked in the past, but with classic tracks like I WANT GLORY and WESTERN CULTURE their soon to be Euro release, we can only say that the good times are back. This line of SHAM 69 has truly put the past 10 years behind them and have found a new cause for the kids of today. LONG LIVE SHAM 69!!!
Freddy Hillman BOSTON HERALD & FREE PRESS MUSIC
2007. 30 years ago the Sex Pistols took the world by storm putting the world of punk rock on the front pages of the international press. 30 years of mohawks, of safety pins, of bondage pants. 30 years ago Sham 69 released their debut ep "I Don't Wanna". 30 years of work shirts, of cropped hair, of Dr.Marten boots. Taking the elitist, middle class punk sound and style, and taking it to the streets and the roots level. 2007. The new Sham 69 album, "Western Culture" is released. With a line-up change bound to surprise many, they are sounding fresher than they have done for a long, long time. Their first real record for over ten years, proving that the band is back to stay! In this day and age of processed plastic Punk SHAM 69 has laid dormant and inactive. Once the forerunners of what we now call the street punk movement, SHAM 69 has been hailed by 100's of bands worldwide as their biggest influence. The ONLY British punk band to have had 8 top ten hits in the UK and 5 top 10 hits on USA's Billboard it has come a long way. The SHAM 69 album "Western Culture" is a by-product of doing what SHAM 69 used to do and that's listening to the fans. The fans want good real 'meat and potato' music that reflects how they are and feel.
punkrockcds.com
When you reel off the list of punk bands who were there from the start, Sham 69 don't get many mentions. Formed in 1975, the same year as the Sex Pistols, and despite having very little influence on hardcore, or modern punk, or just about anybody else for that matter, they're probably the group who've stayed truest to their belief in punk these last thirty years. They still don't sell too many records, they still write big, dumb rock songs and they still don't give a f**k.
On their first new album in ten years then, and aside from the line-up, little has changed in the Sham 69 camp. None of these songs re-invent the wheel, and compared to what any gangsta rapper will put out on a daily basis nothing here is anywhere near as offensive in modern context as it would have been in 1977. However the modern political and social commentary, whilst clumsy on 'Medic', is enticing and funny on the likes of the brilliantly titled 'ASBO Sports Day' or 'Here Come The Lies'. Plus, they willingly incorporate the major-key euphoria of pop-punk on the likes of 'Hollywood Hero,' adding a much needed new angle on their sound.
So not exactly a classic album, but still a return to form for a band most people will have forgotten about, but will probably be here along with the cockroaches when the world finally ends.
rockmidgets.com
GIG REVIEWS
SHAM 69
western culture
2007. 30 years ago the sex pistols took the world by storm putting the world of punk rock on the front pages of the international press. 30 years of mohawks, of safety pins, of bondage pants. 30 years ago sham 69 released their debut ep 'i don't wanna'. 30 years of work shirts, of cropped hair, of dr.marten boots. taking the elitist, middle class punk sound and style, and taking it to the streets and to the roots level. 2007. the new sham 69 album, 'western culture' is released. with a line-up change bound to surprise many, they are sounding fresher than they have done for a long, long time. their first real record for over ten years, proving that the band is back to stay!
Rough Trade
These guys are of course legends, formed in 1975/1976 they were one of the first real Punkbands and probably the first Oi! band, because a whole new subgenre followed after they had released classic Oi! singles like "Borstal Breakout”, "Angels With Dirty Faces" (reaching number 19 in the UK charts in May 1978), "If The Kids Are United" (number 9 in July 1978) and "Hurry Up Harry" (number 10 in October 1978). With that much success the band performed at famous TV shows like ‘Top of the Pops’ back then and their popularity began to rise until Punk was starting to die. Around the early 80s the band split up, but towards the end of the 80s they reformed and in the 90s new albums were released, although they never reached the level of their classic 1978 debut ‘That’s life’. In 2006 there was a new highlight in the career of SHAM 69, because they recorded a song to support the England national football team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The song was based on the classic SHAM 69 hit "Hurry Up Harry", with the lyrics "We're going down to the pub", changed to "We're going to win the cup!". The resulting single "Hurry Up England" reached number 10 in the UK Top 40, becoming the band's first such hit for over 26 years. However the success still split the band and with a new singer (Tim V instead of original singer Jimmy Pursey) SHAM 69 now released a new CD titled ‘Western culture’. 12 songs in classic SHAM 69 punkrockstyle, with less rawer vocals and of course not as good as their classic material, this album still offers enough great tunes for the legacy of SHAM 69. More melodic and with songs like “No apologies”, “I want glory”, “New York City” and “Hollywood hero” showing real classic late 70s UK Punkrock never died.
angelfire.com
. . . . . and the dickhead who didn't do his homework (bottom of the class for you my lad)
Andy Gill, The Independant
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Wot? No Jimmy Pursey? Their former frontman may have since become a new-age hippie, but there was an undeniable demotic punch to his lyrics that seared them into the memory.
Sadly, founding guitarist Dave Parsons, who has put together a new line-up, has no such gift: songs such as “I Don’t Believe A Word” and “Here Come The Lies” simply rehearse a vague scepticism in clangingly clichéd terms.
The bonehead anarchist attitude of “Give Me A Minute” appears to mistakenly assume that car industry workers actually want their companies to collapse, a bizarrely anachronistic Red Robbo mindset that turns out to be the most striking Seventies characteristic of the whole album.
More live reviews soon . . . . we've only got one pair of bleedin' hands !!!
