I’ll get it out of the way straight off the bat. I hate the band name. I don’t like Only Fools and Horses either so it’s kind of a double whammy. It reminds me of some kind of [spunge] rip-off and I’m half expecting silly ska songs about kicking pigeons any time I ever listen to this band. Thing is, scratch the surface and forget about the name and OFAC are actually bloody good at what they do. They’re a bit like an Irish Sick Of It All or an early Comeback Kid. This is aggressive stuff. It’s passionate and hard hitting and really believable – there’s nothing worse than a band playing this kind of music and not actually conveying the emotion and energy they’re supposed to, but Only Fumes… do it in abundance. It’s one of those rare records where the energy which probably shines through in a live environment is actually captured perfectly on record too.
There are 14 tracks on this album and I tend to find bands of this type get a bit samey after a while. Not so with this mob. They mix the styles up really well and so ‘Who Really Cares…’ rattles through without ever really needing to reach for the skip button. ‘X Marks The Cross’ and ‘Futile Promises of a Listless Mind’ are just energey-ridden hardcore anthems in waiting, the kind of tracks that make you want to punch your gran in the face. ‘Wreck’ has this weird little ska section which actually works pretty well. The guitar work is superb throughout and full marks to the bassist too for not sticking to what the rest of the band are playing.
Only Fumes… may have a dodgy name, but they’re far from being a dodgy band. This is great stuff and if you’re a hardcore fan, it’s almost unmissable.