Counter Action: Rama-Lama Punk From Blitz

 
Music

Our resident ‘man of mystery’ (alright, he works in a record shop) chooses to shine his vinyl shaped spotlight on a dimly lit corner of that wonderful world of ‘7”s, 12”s, LPs etc. that we call, err, records. The records chosen needn’t cost an arm and a leg, be especially rare, or even be so obscure that you out there in ‘normal land’ are like never-ever-ever going to find one – in fact, they don’t have to be good at all (although that does help). No, our record shop employee has a far more noble aim – namely to celebrate the seldom-celebrated, to tell the story of a record with a story to tell – no genre shall go unturned, after all, a tune, is a tune, is a tune…..

This week, our record shop employee has a confession to make – after receiving a batch of second wave Brit-Punk and Oi! ‘45s he had no idea that those angry looking Blitz chaps (see below) did the musical volte-face of all musical volte-faces (even out-doing ‘Mr Country’ himself Garth Brooks when he adopted that fictional rock-star alter ego Chris Gaines – it’s twue, it’s twue…) So, with that in mind, the man behind the counter would like to pose a question…

How does a band that looked like this?

https://www.discogs.com/Blitz-All-Out-Attack-EP/master/265275

…end up sounding (and looking) like this in just under two years?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the strange world of Blitz…

By 1979 the shockwaves of the London-centric ’76 era punk explosion had spread across the country, inspiring disaffected youths up and down the land to honour thy punk maxim: “This is a chord. This is another. This is a third. Now form a band.” The small town of New Mills in Derbyshire (pop. 9000) was no exception. 

Here, two skinheads, Carl (vocals), Charlie (drums) and two punks Mackie (bass), Nidge (guitar) ignored the heavily tribalistic zeitgeist and found common ground over a shared love of the Ramones, and before you could say ‘hey-ho, let’s go’ they’d developed their own take on 100 mph rama-lama punk, upping the speed factor (tempo that is) and piling on the aggression. 

Debut EP All Out Attack, released in 1981, ticks all the boxes for what’s now retrospectively known as ‘second wave punk’; tiny independent label, handmade DIY paper fold-out sleeve, four angry yoofs leaning against a wall (I blame the Ramones), hand drawn artwork (wot no stencil?) and, lest we forget, that all important lyric sheet. 

EP opener ‘Someone’s Gonna Die Tonight’ tells you what you need to know…

After two more singles and one full-length LP, Voice of a Generation, the band split along those self-same tribalistic lines. Unusually the punk half of the band, Nidge and Mackie, limped on, releasing just one ’45 – a fiery take on Bowie’s 'Suffragette City' of all things – whilst the skinhead half (Carl and Tim) defied expectations and got downright progressive on yo’ ass, not in a Temple Of the Sphinx concept album in 7/4 time type stylee but progressive in that they bid a fond farewell to punk and came on like (J)oi! Division and the Cure’s third cousins removed, all buttoned up shirts and military fatigues – New Age, their first release as Blitz Mk2, nailed their new found futuristic colours firmly to the mast – needless to say, not all of their fans were ‘on message’…

(from www.punkygibbon.co.uk)

…you can make your own mind up here…

https://www.discogs.com/Blitz-New-Age/master/53064

By the time they’d reached the 1983 release Solar the whole ‘punx’n’skins’ thing was long gone. The ripped jeans and brick wall signifiers of inner city decay that featured on the sleeves of those early releases were now a thing of the past, replaced by ‘futuristic font’ and abstract imagery – jeez, even parent label No Future’s decision to create an offshoot by removing just one word ‘No’ to create ‘Future Records’ seems gloriously apposite. 

Place the needle down on the 12” for proof positive – low-end synth rumbles compete with spidery, fragmented guitar, quantized drum machine bass kicks, gated snares, New Order/Cure guitar lines and you’re off – their conversion was complete. Yes, to these 2016 ears it can sound a little, well, err, ‘80s, but that’s true of the Cure and Bunnymen too, no? 

https://www.discogs.com/Blitz-Second-Empire-Justice/master/53071

Footnote: The band went on to release a sole long player, the much underrated Second Empire Justice. Those New Order comparisons are not unfounded either; the album was produced by Chris Nagle, New Order/Joy Division’s engineer and Martin Hannett understudy no less. Needless to say, real success eluded them and they remain a cult fave – file them next to those other post-punk shoulda-made-its like The Sound or Chameleons…

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