URBAN DOGS - Bonefield (A Review)

It's taken three years for Charlie Harper (UK Subs) and Knox's (The Vibrators) side project band the Urban Dogs acoustic album to hit the streets, and now it's here, has it been worth the wait? Too right it has, Bonefield is a real pedigree album that sees amongst its eleven tracks the mongrel punk rock of Tomorrows Girls return to it's acoustic roots. This is an album of the old, new, borrowed and the blues, all nicely packaged, with an eight page booklet of photos, liner notes by Charlie, and a great cover painted by Knox. For a “bare bones production” it's got a lot meat to it, thanks in part to Knox's beautiful 'electric' guitar licks'n'riffs that litter the album.

Individually Charlie and Knox have been knocking out their punk rock blues for over four decades now, and they still sound fresh, exciting and full of life, taking on the old blues classics Charlie used to busk in the 60's like Move It On Over, Hobos Lullaby, and Cocaine, which feature some great harmonica playing by The Harper, their sleazy sublime spin thru of Summertime, really is a treat. The stripped to the bone anti war statements of Warhead and War Baby, make them sound even more vital and relevant than they did in the eighties. Classics both of em! A big ya! to the rewired and wild acoustic feral ho-down that is New Barbarians.  Dragnet is just a great song no matter what. There are a couple of newies; Knox's autobiographical narrative Swampdog Blues and their Dylan like protest number Not In My Name. From start to finish Bonefield is a real gem of an album that doesn't disappoint, and could surprise a few people along the way. Old  punk classics are taken to a different dimension and given new depths, and the old blues classics are given a punk twist.  Highly recommended and available from Time and Matter Records.