Anti-Nowhere League - So What? Early Demos & Live Abuse

Ah, the vibrancy of the zeitgeist…

The magnificent thing about the first disc of this set is the fact that, despite being early demos that pre-date their 1982 debut, We Are… The League, it is as vibrant, aggressive, violent and downright dumb as anything that the third (fourth, even?) wave punk gnarlers subsequently produced. The energy and hilarious bile of Landlord Is A Wanker, for one, still resonates across the decades (though sentiments such as those expressed in the likes of Top Of The Pops now reflect rather less well on the oiks). In the face of that gravelly, visceral assault, Disc Two’s suitably expletively-fuelled mid-90s live set sounds positively accomplished. Originally put out by Receiver in 2000, it includes the previously-unreleased Noddy (a slice of complete Mary Whitehouse-baiting filth that was squashed at the time by the Enid Blyton Foundation) and a run-through of Del Shannon’s Runaway. Though both CDs have previously been available commercially, this reissue is an entertaining, daft and entirely male record, with sleevenotes from Alex Ogg to boot. Nothing to do with pushing political boundaries and everything to do with dirty, grubby, knockabout fun.

Castle Music | CMDDD1428

Reviewed by Joe Shooman
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