Labels: X-Fist
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Whilst there is someone at the C more qualified to review this but shit, I am fairly sure no-one else who does reviews for the site actually likes cricket. Monty Panesar, and the mighty, nay, the untouchable Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, it’s all here. Clock the artwork, Monty P sporting a turban crossed with B Monty’s beret, now that’s some smartwork!
You can go wrong with Geoffrey Oi!Cott’s comedy Oi, which over an LP is as tad prone to wearing as an Indian dustbowl wicket, but on a 3 track seven inch, you can’t knock it. Just a shame that Monty Panesar has gone a bit shit but the lyrics show a clear appreciation of “the Sikh of Tweak” and make me wistful for the days when he was leaping ten foot in the air and getting everyone out. Graham Swann isn’t quite the same character but he’s almost as easy to love and is pretty similar in many ways, coming across as a normal chap who stumbled into playing for his country and clearly enjoys what he does. Maybe he’ll get the treatment on the next record. Over on the flip you get the kind of song that Oi!Cott probably crank out in their sleep. “Trophy Bird”, basically uses the lazy technique of a repeated refrain “Trophy Bird” and a bunch of amusing associated comments that rhyme. They’ve done it before and they’ll do it again. It’s what they do. And “17 Pints of Ale”, fuck me, 17 pints of ale? As much as I enjoy an ale, as a soft southern ponce I recoil at even the concept of ploughing through 17 pints of ale. This is the weakest track on show, pretty plodding and a bit more metally. Anyways, I doubt you come for the music when enjoying a bit of Oi!Cott, personally I appreciate the fact that they sing about unashamedly British stuff with a sense of humour, stuff that in the wrong hands would come off clumsily, but these chaps clearly love their country’s traditions and their home region without being pricks about it. It’s possible! Who knew!