Labels: Boss Tuneage
Review by: Oli Saunders
I was two when Bad Beach formed; it looks like they existed for a few years and twenty four years later Boss Tuneage have released this discography. That’s pretty cool in my opinion. Hailing from Leamington Spa, they are clearly strongly influenced by seventies punk and the later hardcore version that followed. I see hints of The Clash and even the Dead Kennedys in the vocals, though in fact the singing is the most original aspect of the band.
‘Skull Rise’ is a highlight; things seem to connect when they take a more aggressive stance. The slower songs just don’t hit home in the same way. There is an interesting variance across their releases and I applaud their take on the genre. I hope it won’t annoy them too much if I say my favourite songs are the last four—a 1995 reunion demo with Sonia on vocals. These songs remind me a little of Desiderata, Ian Mackaye’s sister’s band—it’s Sonia’s voice more than anything.
A band from the past that probably never had a great following—I can’t imagine many being interested in the whole 46 songs but there are a decnt number of highlights dotted around this collection.
25th August 2013