Turn your head to the whirlwind of political unrest and many shocking England performances in the Euros. Instead – listen to Brummie punks Youth Man, their loads better than all that other stuff! Combining 80’s era classic hardcore and some of the grittiest UK punk in recent times. The Birmingham band, consisting of singer Kaila, bassist Miles and drummer Marcus, have created a dirty, angst fuelled monster.
Hand picked to support them throughout Europe and the UK, the trio have letlive. to thank for introducing them to me. They share an energy and a passion for real as fuck punk rock. A perfect fit for a tour with the US soul punx. That immense energy is instantly thrust at you on first song ‘Sweet Apples’. Early on setting a precedence for fuzzy guitars played really, really fast, the track is a perfect opener.
First single, the imaginatively titled ‘Fat Dead Elvis’, might be as close as Youth Man come to a sing-a-long. Maybe. Incoherent whaling and lines about bent spoons make for an interesting lyrical scope. Possibly the weakest song on the EP, it seems a strange choice for a first single.
“I’m hungry! You feed me!”. Like a petulant child bellowing screams in the hope of getting some sweets, ‘Pigs’ sounds like a temper tantrum and a pretty big one at that. Everything about it is frustrated; it’s general intensity, it’s unrelenting power and uncompromising yet catchy vocals. A standout track.
For this EP Youth Man have joined forces with champions of the underground and general purveyors of awesomeness – Venn records, ‘Look: Wait’ is a pretty stellar example of the labels sound. In this case that means one minute ten seconds of mayhem. Pure and simple, it’s an ear bleeder for sure. Furious riffing and drumming that resembles the speed of an Olympic 100 metre sprint.
An altogether more relaxed, but no less pissed off, Youth Man ditch the frenzied tones for a moment. On ‘Painted Blue’ lessened are the harsh screams and the melody dominates. It’s a change of pace, finishing things off on what feels like a cliff-hanger, it leaves you craving more. Far outperforming their first EP, Youth Man can most certainly call ‘Wax’ a success. By no means the finished article, this offering is definitely rough around the edges, but hey, that’s what you want right?
LEW TROTT