Let’s get this bit out of the way: yes, there are still British skacore bands about and no, the genre isn’t as popular as it used to be.
RANDOM HAND have been around (without a break) since the days of Adequate Seven, Lightyear and Capdown, and they’re one of the bands that define hardworking and stubborn. Being unrelenting in refusing to bend your sound to adjust to trends can produce an air of nostalgia, but despite that, Random Hand far from stick out like a sore, old-fashioned thumb.
‘Seething is Believing’ is an 11-strong collection of big stompy skacore anthems, and it’s the very kind of skacore that the UK does so well. ‘Bones’, ‘Sons of Robots’ and ‘Not A Number’ are the big three off the record, but if you haven’t grow up or out of dancing around in cut-off shorts, then there’s no reason you won’t enjoy the whole thing.
Random Hand are as angry and vocal as ever, and it’s always so refreshing to see a band get better and better as they go on. The band take elements of everything from 2 Tone bands like The Selecter to UK hardcore and ska bands like Five Knuckle and Capdown, and mix it up perfectly. There’s much to be said for sticking to your guns, and if there’s even a slight bit of curiosity in your bones, it’s well worth checking ‘Seething Is Believing’ out, grabbing some wacky shorts and a few litres of scrumpy, and having a dance next time they’re near you.
TOM AYLOTT