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Last Under The Sun - "Hooligan Jihad"
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The first word that springs to mind when hearing this provocatively titled EP by Birmingham band Las...The first word that springs to mind when hearing this provocatively titled EP by Birmingham band Last Under The Sun is brutal. Relentless would be another good word. It is the sort of noise that would stun an elephant, or induce Central American Dictators to surrender. They would be nail on cert’s to be the house band in Guantanamo Bay.
They badge themselves as a Punk and Hard-core band, and this is pretty much on the nail. Shouty or almost spoken vocals, short and to the point songs and that attitude are very punk, and it is all set to music that yes does have that melody that punk grasped so well, but it is nearly buried under a ferocious attack of blistering, thrashed up metal style riffs and machine gun drums that hammer away without recourse to such social niceties as pausing for breath.
The band has been in existence in various forms since about 2001 and this experience and longevity shows, the sound is developed, the songs accomplished and it all has a togetherness about it. And, although they work within a genre that are not known for being broadminded there seems to be a willingness to be experimental that has more in common with Metal music than anything else. Time signatures are messed with, there are creative breakdowns and some intelligent production. I also loved the use of the Howard Beale rant from the film Network at the opening to title track Hooligan Jihad that helps illustrate the political nature of this material.
So, not the sort of EP you would give a spin if your gran was coming round to tea, but if you felt like sound-tracking an anti-anything riot then you couldn’t go wrong with this collection.
Hooligan Jihad is released on 23rd November on Iron Man records
More on Last Under The Sun at www.facebook.com/LastUnderTheSun
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Last Under The Sun - "Hooligan Jihad"
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"I was so busy smashing up my room when this EP was playing that I forgot to review it, but this is ..."I was so busy smashing up my room when this EP was playing that I forgot to review it, but this is a great Last Under The Sun offering and it's good quality hardcore punk metal. Not recommended for people who listen to shit, in fact this is the only music you really need" - Nick J Townsend, Ryans Gig Guide October 2012
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Last Under The Sun - "Hooligan Jihad"
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With a title like Hooligan Jihad, one thing is very clear; these boys aren’t messing around. From th...With a title like Hooligan Jihad, one thing is very clear; these boys aren’t messing around. From the outset, the record smacks you in the face like a Molotov cocktail – and the nihilism that oozes through the lyrics suggests that this is pretty much what Last Under the Sun had in mind.
The latest offering from the Birmingham noise merchants isn’t going to win any awards for originality or innovation, but it may pick up a few for sheer unashamed brutality. You can’t help but wonder if the EP was conceived during the rioting that hit the UK in the summer. It has a true punk mentality about it. Not trying to be anything ground-breaking, it’s just good, solid, punk rock.
It does though veer away from the simple in terms of the guitars and during the break-downs; they’re twisted and tweaked in all sorts of directions, adding additional layers to their sound. Gone is the only song that really slows the album down, but it’s got enough of a crunch about it to ensure that though the pace lets up, the ferocity doesn’t.
Last Under the Sun would sound better in a dirty little hole in the back end of Brum, with a half pint of warm beer in one hand and the hood of your best mate’s top in the other. They have a sound that is undoubtedly tight, well-conceived and clearly written and performed by passionate and talented young men. It’s music to get sweaty to, and unless you’re running to catch your bus, it’s wasted on a commute.
If you like your punk loud, fast and have a sudden urge to tip over a police car, there probably isn’t a better EP to provide the soundtrack.
Stand-out tracks: More Helicopters (if only for the Static-X type breakdown towards the end) and Beautane.
Review by Mike Brown
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Selection of short quotes 2005-2010
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"..it seems only fitting that their debut CDEP be a focused, uncompromising attack on callous warmon..."..it seems only fitting that their debut CDEP be a focused, uncompromising attack on callous warmongers everywhere.... the importance of the message being delivered utterly eclipses the medium that delivers it." Ian Glasper - Terrorizer Magazine - Issue 132 June 2005
"..a bass and rhythm section as tight as eberneezer scrooge.....Too short by half, this is nonetheless essential and extreme." Positive Creed fanzine
"..hardcore punk rock in total English style: fast and chaotic and like a fist to the head.....This will fuel you like Crazy." No Front Teeth Fanzine
"Last Under The Sun are one of the best hardcore bands around they create songs with a clear message and deliver them in crushing and uncompromising style." Will Munn Rhtyhm and Booze Fanzine
"..great hooks and a furious sense of energy driving the whole thing. This is one of the best punk rock records I've heard recently from Britain (Birmingham)" Reason to Believe #10 Fanzine
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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Awesome "new" CD from this Birmingham Band....I Love This! This is their third CD and they're all go...Awesome "new" CD from this Birmingham Band....I Love This! This is their third CD and they're all good. At times emo sounding, reminding me of bands like Sensefield, but with more angst and more dischordant, at times they're faster and angrier but still keeping their melody. This was actually recorded in 2005 and came out early 2010! New recordings are planned I believe. Lets hope so. They've toured extensively throughout Uk and Europe, but still they don't seem to be at all well known, maybe because they don't fit into the trendy style of punk, these are way under-rated, seriously, you won't hear many better bands than this! - Steve
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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“My first exposure to this band, though being on Iron Man I had suspected something intense was on t...“My first exposure to this band, though being on Iron Man I had suspected something intense was on the cards. Right enough, intensity forms a large part of what Last Under The Sun do as they pile-drive their way through the seventeen tracks that make up the CD. This album was actually recorded back in 2005, but unreleased until now. The drumming on here is incredible though unfortunately the press sheet tells me the guy pounding them committed suicide earlier this year. He’d departed the band shortly after these sessions wrapped up, to be replaced soon after, so perhaps this is intended as a memorial piece. Certainly it would be difficult to imagine these songs with a different drummer, given the nature of the arrangement which almost places the drums out front as a lead instrument. Not the regular 9 to 5 and an interesting breakaway from standardised craftsmanship. ”
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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“Look past the poor CD cover and you’ll discover some damn fine, catchy, full of hooks, punk, with t...“Look past the poor CD cover and you’ll discover some damn fine, catchy, full of hooks, punk, with the occasional more thrashy number. It makes me think of One By One crossed with say, Left For Dead and towards the end it seems to give a nod to Dischord/Fugazi. My only concern is the sound quality. Is that the sound they wanted? It sounds like an old tape in that the sound seems to come and go…like it’s turned up too loud on a cheap stereo and its distorting. At first it bothered me more but I’m getting used to it now. 7/10.”
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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Aside from running Iron Man Records, promoting and being founder of the Birmingham Music Network, Ma...Aside from running Iron Man Records, promoting and being founder of the Birmingham Music Network, Mark Badger also plays guitar in and manages Birmingham based punk outfit LAST UNDER THE SUN. New album Gone (Iron Man) has its fair share of hardcore punk thrash, ripping out numbers like David Icke, Colin Blakemore (single lyric ‘die’) and Out My Way that that last a mere minute, although the equally full throttle The Shed does clock in at an epic 38 seconds. But there’s also the bludgeoning electronics of Painting Is Dead, the early Husker Du shades of The Trolley Song and Summer’s Day, the metal grind of Backwards, Captain Of My Soul’s pulsing psychedelia and even a gentle acoustic folksy guitar intro to Time For Your Leaving before the stabbing distorted riffs take over.
Coming lyrically from the same political bedrock as Crass etc, it’s not overflowing with songs about bruised relationships or wanting to get down on the dance floor, but for those of its persuasion it wears an open heart.
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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Grosse surprise que ce groupe anglais, vraiment intéressant, bien produit et original. Je dis origin...Grosse surprise que ce groupe anglais, vraiment intéressant, bien produit et original. Je dis original, disons qu’ils n’inventent pas le fil à couper le beurre, mais ils ont intégré un maximum d’influences et les régurgitent en créant leur propre son, sans se soucier des codes de tel ou tel style. La base est plutôt punk-hardcore, mais le rythme souvent décalé, très émo (mais émo sans les voix criées, ouf !). On sent des influences Hc mélodique, crust, noisy. Pas mal de chansons me font penser au dernier album de PROPAGANDHI. Parfois, c’est les débuts de LEATHERFACE, ou des groupes ricains comme CONTRA, KRUPTED PEASANT FARMERZ, OPERATION CLIFF CLAVIN, ou alors des trucs emo-violence comme ASSHOLE PARADE. Je suis pas archi-dingue de ce disque, mais franchement ils ont le mérite de flotter au dessus du lot. www.ironmanrecords.co.uk (Yann)
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Last Under The Sun – "Gone" CD
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I have a weird relationship with Last Under The Sun. I love the idea, the lyrics and artwork, but ha...I have a weird relationship with Last Under The Sun. I love the idea, the lyrics and artwork, but have never found them an easy listen.
Considering most of them are in Police Bastard they are much more melodic than you’d expect, but over the years their sense of melody and the superbly-crafty songs have slowly, but surely grown on me.
The vocals do not make the listening experience any easier. They hold an almost spoken word quality about them that breaks into a shout on songs such as Summers Day and, again, they may take a while to grow on you.
To all intents and purposes Last… are a punk band, but they’re a punk band which transcends punk and takes it off in a unique direction – one that defies labelling.
Sure they have fast songs, and sure the drums can, on occasion, pound you into submission, but many of the songs are built around a slow-burning melody that grows and grows as the song progresses. And it’s this quality that sets Last... apart from the pack. And that, my friends, is certainly no bad thing. We need a few more band doing something “different”.
This won’t be to everybody’s taste, but if you like Last’s previous releases you’ll love it. Otherwise, give it a few listens before dismissing it, you never know, you may be pleasantly surprised.
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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You will not get a suntan, but a nice ear blast.
This is not a full throttle hardcore punk album ...You will not get a suntan, but a nice ear blast.
This is not a full throttle hardcore punk album with 25 two second songs. This is more a roller-coaster of sounds. From short 3 minute songs to 5-6 epic offerings, if you like punk with a more eclectic, 'off your head' edge; with quiet electronic element in live instrument form, then check this out.
From subtle songs to ballistic missiles. Starts with Time For Your Leaving then dives into Aphex Twin live band style Painting Is Dead.
The trolley song is what you would expect on the album. The punk/indie cross, thrashing the guitar riffs then to what sounds like like acoustic cuts. Great guitar riffs with vocals from Mark. The song reminds me of The Wedding Present.
If you were expecting straight down the road raw punk, this will take you by surprise. Half of the Police Bastard line up on this album, which is the reason for the crossover sound.
If you want an album to leave you gasping for breath then this is for you.
If you have never heard this band before, think The Wedding Present crossed with Aphex Twin elements and fast guitar work
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Last Under The Sun - "Gone" CD
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One of the greatest (if not the greatest) bands to come out of England in the past 10 years. That’s ...One of the greatest (if not the greatest) bands to come out of England in the past 10 years. That’s a bold statement and yes I made it because I totally believe it too. This band is brutal, hard hitting, powerful, with deep lyrics, genius, talented and amazing live too. I could go on, and I will. The guitars and riffs this band produce are world class and will fuel the hardest stomper. The best of the best at what they do. They are hardcore, they are punk, they are metal, they are a million other great things, Last Under The Sun are the band I want playing at my funeral. I think that says it all really. If a band makes you want to hear them after you are dead then that truly must be the ultimate thing.
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Last Under The Sun - "All Empires Crumble" CD
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This Brummie trio have apparently been working closely with the Stirchley Stop The War group since t...This Brummie trio have apparently been working closely with the Stirchley Stop The War group since their inception in 2001, so it seems only fitting that their new CDEP be a focused, uncompromising attack on callous warmongers everywhere. Musically they sound like a tight-as-arseholes reincarnation of the English Dogs when they had Stu Pid fronting them; this is classic anarcho punk, in that the importance of the message being delivered utterly eclipses the medium that delivers it. Peace out! - Ian Glasper
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Last Under The Sun - "All Empires Crumble" CD
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This is a 4 song anti war/anti everything, speed punk stomp. Everything on here is a winner....a bas...This is a 4 song anti war/anti everything, speed punk stomp. Everything on here is a winner....a bass and rhythm section as tight as eberneezer scrooge and a guitarist with more about him than just thrashing away at chords. Song 2 "Bring me their heads" is an anarcho masterpiece as is the relentless "not in my name." Musically intriguing "last under the sun" also make use of samples, intercutting them to great effect. Had crass started out now in modern times, they might have ended up sounding a bit like this. Too short by half, this is nonetheless essential and extreme.
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Last Under The Sun - "Windfall" CD
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This actually reminds me of a heavier, more commanding NED'S ATOMIC DUSTBIN which is a compliment, b...This actually reminds me of a heavier, more commanding NED'S ATOMIC DUSTBIN which is a compliment, because they were a really unique band who were so important and it's fantastic to hear that sound again but in this completely different realm. Melodic hardcore can be pretty boring if it's not approached correctly and LAST UNDER THE SUN have created their own approach that works like a charm.
NFT / PO BOX 27070 / LONDON N2 9ZP / UK
http://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk
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Last Under The Sun - "Windfall" CD
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There might be just eight tracks to grapple with, but the quality of the music more than outweighs t...There might be just eight tracks to grapple with, but the quality of the music more than outweighs the accompanying quantity as the harsh riffage of 'Threads' hears this Birmingham-based trio pummel into a severely attention-demanding strain of punk hardcore with a definitive melodic edge.
Bizarrely, the actual line-up of the band is being kept secret and band members - allegedly - always seem subject to change… a line-up that has, at one time or another, seen a Pigfish member join in with
the fun.
While the singer sounds like The Stranglers' Hugh Cornwell being ravaged by a shoal of flying piranha fish, come 'Ride Your Ride,' the aggressive-sounding front is down and it's time to get genuinely poetic.
In fact, 'Ride Your Ride' is an incredible song, starting out with a dead-fast punk jolt before a sublimely bittersweet and acoustic- primed interlude startles the senses. The extraordinary song arrangement echoes the style of hardcore metal band PSP who use similar, breathtaking dynamics from hard-&-fast beginnings to slow-&-soulful mid-eights.
In their anti-corporate prime, these guys are passionately imbued with the spirit of Jet Plane Landing, before 'This Business' further impresses with a strong melody and sublime harmonies… and while 'Days' starts out slowly, their over-riding love of heavy hardcore soon wipes that out. Still, 'MIR' - the final track of this, the band's debut LP - is atmospherically chilled to the sounds of some more clashing acoustic chords and compelling samples. A windfall like this is surely worth investing in. Steve Rudd 'Black Velvet' magazine.
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Last Under The Sun - "Windfall" CD
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Metaluk.com Publication date: 15 May 2004, 17:33:14 | Author: Stuart A Hamilton
An interesting one ...Metaluk.com Publication date: 15 May 2004, 17:33:14 | Author: Stuart A Hamilton
An interesting one this, as Last Under The Sun attempt to straddle a fence somewhere between emo and hardcore. Something which must be uncomfortable, but when it works, it makes for a very interesting ride.
Unlike a lot of bands from those camps, they remember that writing a good song is the all important factor, and there's plenty of hummable melodies contained here, with "This Business" being the undoubted highlight.
The easiest link to make is to a pop oriented Fugazi, which makes more sense than you'd think. They've a fair bit of pedigree having worked their way through former members of Stepback, Eastfield, Eggraid, The Hot Tortoise, Pigfish and Damn Dirty Apes, before settling on their current 3 piece lineup.
They're going for a moody vibe, which they prefer to term melodic punk influenced post hardcore. However, it's far removed from anything else with the words 'melodic' and 'punk' attached which brings to mind the horrific image of Sum 41, and Last Under The Sun couldn't be further removed from that particular nightmare, with every song taking a distinct stance, separate, yet part of the same audio blast.
There is a lot to recommend this release, and with fresh recordings in the bag and a growing reputation for their live work, they could be ones to watch, especially with a bass player named after a
Hawkwind song! Review from: http://www.metaluk.com/reviews/viewReview.cfm?iReviewID=341
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Last Under The Sun - "Windfall" CD
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I saw this band at the Cardigan Arms recently and they were fucking ace(they reminded me of MANIFEST...I saw this band at the Cardigan Arms recently and they were fucking ace(they reminded me of MANIFESTO
JUKEBOX in terms of intensity - with a bit of LEATHERFACE and FOUR LETTER WORD thrown in.) This cd is really really fucking good - and on this they sound great - and like their own band ie not a clone of another band. Excellent coarse singing - great hooks and a furious sense of energy driving the whole thing. This is one of the best punk rock records I've heard recently from Britain (Birmingham). Go buy this now... (RPS)
http://www.rtbzine.ndo.co.uk
