THE FITS - The Visitor

2013....The Beat Went on!

2013....What's been released this year and going round and round on my CD player. Well....In no particular order we have.... JOHNNY THUNDERS with Hurt Me, this album showed his tender side; stripped naked with just a guitar, a brittle and beautiful listen NIKKI SUDDEN, The Boy From Nowhere Who Fell Out Of The Sky is a six CD box set. A lovingly crafted and compiled collection of Nikki’s work. Both these were reissued by the wonderful Easy Action Records. Sweet Revenge by the criminally ignored Punk'n'Rollers the LIGHTNING RAIDERS, was not so much a re-issue, because back in the day it was never released. Knox may not be touring with THE VIBRATORS but On The Guest List shows he's still part of the band, with a collection of songs that rank amongst the best he's written, and all supported by a cast of special guests. The UK SUBS, they just keep going, and going and getting better as they go, maturing with age disgracefully. CHARLIE HARPER and CAPTAIN SENSIBLE, this was a real surprise Too Much Reality....took Punk to a new Psychedelic underworld of neon grey. GLM, released three blinding Rocky yet slightly poppy download only tracks from their website. DEADCUTS, do just that....they cut you dead! A switch-blade to the throat of all the taste-makers and trend-setters. Deadcuts are out there and have got something special going on. BABYSHAMBLES Sequel To The Prequel, a brilliant album, Pete Doherty has been the only real Great British Rock'n'Roller for the last....fuck knows how long. THE MOB returned with a single Rise Up! an anthemic call to arms. THE FITS, reformed legends of the UK82 Punk scene, returned with some Punk Rockin' action with their Lead On EP. NEW MODEL ARMY, released a dark and moody master piece, and JAMES KING AND THE LONE WOLVES crawled out of the wreckage with some sublime swamp rock blues. Finally a couple of Punk'n'Roll supergroups cut through the crap this year. THE CRUNCH with their album Busy Making Noise which is a blast of pure Power Pop Punk, their line up includes former members of the Cockney Rejects, Lords of New Church/Sham 69 The Clash and Diamond Dogs. THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS, include a Twenty Flight Rocker (Gary Twinn) Sex Pistol (Glen Matlock) a Gen X/Chelsea (James Stevenson) Blondie (Clem Burke.) released three stompin' tracks via their web page. Hopefully an album will be released in 2014. Finally PRIMAL SCREAM's 2013 was a real return to form, a musical and lyrical statement of intent. Well there you have it a year in my Rock'n'Roll world....Here's to the next one!

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.

THE FITS / PURE PRESSURE - Demos.

Someone requested a re-up for the PURE PRESSURE demo, so here it is, as a bit of a bonus I've included a 1985 demo from THE FITS here, which sounds like Slaughter and The Dogs meeting The Cult and was a pointer towards the musical direction Pure Pressure took. The text below is from the original post:

The Fits came from Blackpool, and were a slight cut above the rest of the 1980’s Punk bands; with their Rock’n’Roll tinged Punk rock tunes; less thrash more trash! Sadly they split up around 1985 amongst a mess of eyeliner and violence. Singer Mickey Fits had taken to wearing make up on stage, as a reaction to the violence that often marred Punk gigs during the 80’s. Fortunetly this wasn’t the last to be heard of Mickey, who went on to form Pure Pressure, along with a couple more members of The Fits, their sound veered to the more rocky side of things, coming across like a slightly less heavy Zodiac Mindwarp or The Cult, while still maintaining a punk rock sensibility. Good stuff! Give it a blast