Music > Album Reviews

Bad Breeding - Bad Breeding

25/04/16

Granted I’ve had to look up the date, but in retrospect October 10th 2014 was a pretty big deal. It was night two of that year’s Norwich Sound & Vision Festival and I found myself standing in a sparsely populated Norwich Arts Centre about to watch the second band on that night. I’d done my research and had already been blown away by Age Of Nothing & Burn This Flag but I had no inkling what was about to go down. Bad Breeding played a 30 minute set the like of which I‘ve rarely seen in 30 years of watching live music. The sheer brutality of their music, the utter abandon in the way in which they performed it and the apparent lack of concern for what the audience thought made it beyond thrilling. Incendiary is the word I’ve used to describe it since. Frontman Chris Dodd spent most of the set on the venue floor bellowing his lyrics right in people’s faces, or when he was on stage he was being stood on by livewire guitarist Matt Toll. I know a few other people who were there that night and it’s still something we talk about in hushed tones. I simply had to see this band again.

The opportunity for a second look occurred at last year’s Latitude Festival. Tucked away on the tiny Alcove stage in a mid afternoon slot they would have been easy to miss. Once again they played to a small audience and once again my mind was completely blown. Not only did they have the same level of intensity as before, but the band had grown in stature. The rhythm section were even more in control, Matt was even more out of control and Chris once more prowled amongst us, making us feel brilliantly uncomfortable, making it seem like things could go off at any moment. So now I’ve seen the band live twice and I still need more. The occasional new song is released, the odd live clip surfaces but essentially the band remain a well-kept secret. All part of the masterplan.

Infrequent interviews emerge revealing some fiercely intelligent thoughts from Chris, setting out the band’s view on a variety of subjects, not least political. The sense of disenfranchisement with mainstream politics, frustration at voter apathy, the sense of abandonment that the young feel is all touched upon. Not that Bad Breeding are necessarily trying to offer the solution, but what they are doing is talking about these subjects in a way which inspires and engages their audience. They are offering more than just glib statements. It would be wrong to perceive the band as purely political though; the motivation behind the band is primarily musical, a way of allowing four young men the opportunity to channel all of their rage, frustrations and limitations into their music. A way of surviving the jobs that allow them to survive. If an audience develops based purely on the primal thrill of their music all well and good. If that audience delves further into their ethos so much the better. Still though, the wait went on for more music, until now that is, and the reason I am attempting to make sense of my excitement for this band. April 2016 finally sees the release of the long awaited debut album. A release which will see it uploaded onto the Internet free of charge. The chance to listen to this incredible piece of work is being given to us and it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

This self-titled album is everything that has gone before, but better. Strive belches forth in a squall of feedback and rage filled lyrics. I hear mention of ‘zero hours contracts’ in there. Then A Limp Shove opens out the sound a little, giving Charlie Rose’s bass the opportunity to drive the music along. The sound is thick and meaty, Discharge being an obvious reference point for me, but a host of UK anarcho punk bands also spring to mind. I saw Subhumans recently and these two groups would make brilliant touring bedfellows. Remembering is a highlight – Ashleigh Bennet’s drums sounding cacophonous with Matt Toll’s guitar barely managing to contain itself, like a supercharged Wilko Johnson. No Progress with its refrain of “WHY SHOULD I ACCEPT NO PROGRESS” is another punch to the head, leaving the listener in no doubt about what the band think. Burn This Flag &  Age Of Nothing have been re-recorded for the album, rightly so I think as sonically they fit the overall sound brilliantly, but different enough from their previous versions to completely justify being included. What has impressed me most about repeated listens to this album is how more and more sounds are being opened up to me. This is not just a blast of unlistenable anger from start to finish. This is carefully crafted music, revealing the influences behind it but sounding resolutely original. This may be punk rock, but there is nothing 1977 about this, this is 2016 writ large in challenging musical form. Music that rewards investment. Corrupting Fist is the best song I’ve heard this year, Dissembling is perfect musical alchemy in two minutes and Blurring Out ends the album with some relentless hardcore. For a band still so young this album is a monumental achievement. For them to somehow harness the power of the live show on record is staggering, and props must go to producer Matt Peel for this. I haven’t been this excited about a new band for a very long time. Once the album is in the public domain it’s going to be released on vinyl in June and I implore you to support them – lyrics and essays will be included and the price will be affordable.  

Seek them out. They’re not on Twitter because it dilutes their message, so you’ll have to try a bit harder. Go see them live, some of the forthcoming shows are FREE. Buy the record, read their words and give something back. They do this because they have to, so should you.

@StuPres

Download the album for free here http://bit.ly/26mzSS4

Order your vinyl copy here http://bit.ly/1VTOTHm

Follow Bad Breeding on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/badbreedingband/?fref=nf

Granted I’ve had to look up the date, but in retrospect October 10th 2014 was a pretty big deal. It was night two of that year’s Norwich Sound & Vision Festival and I found myself standing in a sparsely populated Norwich Arts Centre about to watch the second band on that night. I’d done my research and had already been blown away by Age Of Nothing & Burn This Flag but I had no inkling what was about to go down. Bad Breeding played a 30 minute set the like of which I‘ve rarely seen in 30 years of watching live music. The sheer brutality of their music, the utter abandon in the way in which they performed it and the apparent lack of concern for what the audience thought made it beyond thrilling. Incendiary is the word I’ve used to describe it since. Frontman Chris Dodd spent most of the set on the venue floor bellowing his lyrics right in people’s faces, or when he was on stage he was being stood on by livewire guitarist Matt Toll. I know a few other people who were there that night and it’s still something we talk about in hushed tones. I simply had to see this band again.

The opportunity for a second look occurred at last year’s Latitude Festival. Tucked away on the tiny Alcove stage in a mid afternoon slot they would have been easy to miss. Once again they played to a small audience and once again my mind was completely blown. Not only did they have the same level of intensity as before, but the band had grown in stature. The rhythm section were even more in control, Matt was even more out of control and Chris once more prowled amongst us, making us feel brilliantly uncomfortable, making it seem like things could go off at any moment. So now I’ve seen the band live twice and I still need more. The occasional new song is released, the odd live clip surfaces but essentially the band remain a well-kept secret. All part of the masterplan.

Infrequent interviews emerge revealing some fiercely intelligent thoughts from Chris, setting out the band’s view on a variety of subjects, not least political. The sense of disenfranchisement with mainstream politics, frustration at voter apathy, the sense of abandonment that the young feel is all touched upon. Not that Bad Breeding are necessarily trying to offer the solution, but what they are doing is talking about these subjects in a way which inspires and engages their audience. They are offering more than just glib statements. It would be wrong to perceive the band as purely political though; the motivation behind the band is primarily musical, a way of allowing four young men the opportunity to channel all of their rage, frustrations and limitations into their music. A way of surviving the jobs that allow them to survive. If an audience develops based purely on the primal thrill of their music all well and good. If that audience delves further into their ethos so much the better. Still though, the wait went on for more music, until now that is, and the reason I am attempting to make sense of my excitement for this band. April 2016 finally sees the release of the long awaited debut album. A release which will see it uploaded onto the Internet free of charge. The chance to listen to this incredible piece of work is being given to us and it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

This self-titled album is everything that has gone before, but better. Strive belches forth in a squall of feedback and rage filled lyrics. I hear mention of ‘zero hours contracts’ in there. Then A Limp Shove opens out the sound a little, giving Charlie Rose’s bass the opportunity to drive the music along. The sound is thick and meaty, Discharge being an obvious reference point for me, but a host of UK anarcho punk bands also spring to mind. I saw Subhumans recently and these two groups would make brilliant touring bedfellows. Remembering is a highlight – Ashleigh Bennet’s drums sounding cacophonous with Matt Toll’s guitar barely managing to contain itself, like a supercharged Wilko Johnson. No Progress with its refrain of “WHY SHOULD I ACCEPT NO PROGRESS” is another punch to the head, leaving the listener in no doubt about what the band think. Burn This Flag &  Age Of Nothing have been re-recorded for the album, rightly so I think as sonically they fit the overall sound brilliantly, but different enough from their previous versions to completely justify being included. What has impressed me most about repeated listens to this album is how more and more sounds are being opened up to me. This is not just a blast of unlistenable anger from start to finish. This is carefully crafted music, revealing the influences behind it but sounding resolutely original. This may be punk rock, but there is nothing 1977 about this, this is 2016 writ large in challenging musical form. Music that rewards investment. Corrupting Fist is the best song I’ve heard this year, Dissembling is perfect musical alchemy in two minutes and Blurring Out ends the album with some relentless hardcore. For a band still so young this album is a monumental achievement. For them to somehow harness the power of the live show on record is staggering, and props must go to producer Matt Peel for this. I haven’t been this excited about a new band for a very long time. Once the album is in the public domain it’s going to be released on vinyl in June and I implore you to support them – lyrics and essays will be included and the price will be affordable.  

Seek them out. They’re not on Twitter because it dilutes their message, so you’ll have to try a bit harder. Go see them live, some of the forthcoming shows are FREE. Buy the record, read their words and give something back. They do this because they have to, so should you.

@StuPres

Download the album for free here http://bit.ly/26mzSS4

Order your vinyl copy here http://bit.ly/1VTOTHm

Follow Bad Breeding on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/badbreedingband/?fref=nf