If I had to pick the greatest example of a beer- fuelled, testosterone- driven, bar- trashing, no- frills, fighting, fucking, born to lose motley crew of misfits it would surely be Belligerent 86. This is not to say that the band are a set of moronic meatheads content with mindless violence- it is to attribute to them the ability to convey in the most brutal, heartfelt and communicative manner the noise that best characterises the Oi!, Hardcore and Punk Rock of the East Coast in America. “Off The Wagon” is a collection of tales of a discarded working class ferociously defending their identity whilst finding the time to have fun down the bar, fall in love- be it with alcohol or women, and present their broken hearts and lives to us on a silver platter soaked in bile, beer and vitriol.
Stand- out tracks include “Belligerent 86”- a manifesto of the collective’s “suck our dick” attitude. “It’s Over” and “Down and Out” meanwhile are episodes of break- ups and betrayal in which alcohol is anointed as the appropriate cure. We are also treated to a couple of covers- of Sam Cooke’s “Saturday Night” and of Jennings’/Nelson’s “Good Hearted Woman”, both of which are a refreshing, cut- throat treat. If that wasn’t enough, there are also the standard skinhead- pleasers “Punch Out Time” and “Walking Mardi- Gras” which tell of days at work, nights at the pub and friends lost along the way.
What we have here, readers, is a racket that deserves out complete attention. It is as brutal and damaging as a chainsaw, as uncomfortable as a punch in the stomach, and bears the scars of a once handsome set of young men made ugly by what life has thrown at them. This is nothing short of absolute genius.
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