THE FITS - Lead On EP (*A REVIEW*)

IT'5 BEEN NEARLY 30 YEAR5 5INCE THE FIT5 LA5T RELEA5ED A RECORD, 5O THI5 I5 A WELCOME RETURN.

BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE LATE5T CHAPTER OF THE FIT5 5TORY LET5 GO BACK A FEW YEAR5 TO THE 1980'5 WHEN THE FIT5 5HONE A5 BRIGHTLY A5 THE LIGHT5 ON BLACKPOOL'5 GOLDEN MILE. VOCALI5T MICK CRUDGE WA5 IN5PIRED TO 5ING AFTER 5EEING ADAM AND THE ANT5 IN 1979, AND THE FIT5 WERE BORN. 5EVERAL 5INGLE5 WERE RELEA5ED AND WELL RECEIVED, AND ONE RATHER PATCHY ALBUM YOU'RE NOTHING YOU'RE NOWHERE. THEIR 1982 5INGLE LA5T LAUGH WA5 PRODUCED BY KNOX FROM THE VIBRATOR5, TEAR5 OF A NATION WIDELY ACCEPTED A5 BEING A CLA55IC WA5 RELEA5ED IN 1983 WITH THE HELP OF ARCH ANARCHO5; CRA55, IN 1984 ANOTHER CORKER OF A TRACK, PEACE AND QUIET WA5 RELEA5ED A5 A 5PLIT 5INGLE WITH PUNK PATHETIQUE JOKER5 PETER AND THE TE5T TUBE BABIE5. THE FIT5 WERE NEVER YER AVERAGE PUNK BAND CONFINED BY CONVENTION, THEY WERE A GREAT LITTLE ROCK'N'ROLL BAND THAT CAME FROM ANOTHER GARAGE AND WHO DROVE A DIFFERENT ROUTE DOWN THE ROCK'N'ROLL HIGHWAY. 5O, WHAT ARE THE FIT5 5OUNDING LIKE IN 2013? WELL THE FOUR TRACK5 ON THE EP TAKE UP WERE THE BAND LEFT OFF IN 1986 AFTER THEY'D 5PLIT UP AND BECOME PURE PRE55UE, (I PO5TED A DEMO OF THEIR5 ON HERE AGE5 AGO, 5EEK AND YE WILL FIND) THE PUNK ROCK HAD DEVELOPED INTO A 5LIGHTLY MORE .5TRIPPED DOWN ROCK 5OUND. ONLY MICK CRUDGE AND RICKY MCGUIRE REMAIN FROM PREVIOU5 FIT5 LINE UP5. RICKY WENT ON TO PLAY WITH THE UK 5UB5 AND THE MEN THEY COULDN'T HANG AFTER HE LEFT THE FIT5, AND MICK WENT TRAVELLING FOR MANY YEAR5 FIR5T IN A CAR ACRO55 AMERICA AND THEN TO TIBET MINU5 THE CAR, NOW THEY ARE BACK TOGETHER IN THI5 NEW INCARNATION OF THE FIT5.

THE LEAD ON E.P KICK5 OFF WITH 5ON OF A GUN, A ROWDY AND RA5PEY ROCKER, A 5ONG OF PER5ONAL FREEDOM, DI5COVERY AND LIBERATION WITH HEARTBREAKER5 RIFF5'N'LICK5. THING5 5LOW DOWN WITH HE'5 NOT READY YET, A GROWLING GROOVE OF A TUNE THAT PLOD5 AND POUND5 ALONG. CHANCE5 I5 A PRIMAL, POUNDING HEARTFELT HOWL. THE VI5ITOR I5 A REWORKING OF A 5ONG BY THE AFOREMENTIONED PURE PRE55URE IT'5 A FA5T, FURIOU5 AND FRANTIC FREAK OUT REMINI5CENT IN PLACE5 OF THE 5CREAMING BLUE ME55IAH5.

THI5 E.P I5 A REAL GROWER, AFTER A COUPLE OF PLAY5 IT BLOOM5 LIKE A FLOWER IN THE WA5TELAND. IT'5 A GRAVELY AND GUT5Y GROWL WITH A FIRE THAT 5TILL BURN5.

THE LEAD ON E.P I5 AVAILABLE VIA THE BAND5 FACEBOOK PAGE.