Anarchy Rating

All reviews are scored out of a total of five Anarchy symbol's. A score of three is given to something that is a typical example of its style with nothing too outstanding or bad about it.

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The Skints – Live. Breathe. Build. Believe. CD

Live Breathe Build Believe coverThere are some who say that youth is wasted on the young. I beg to differ, especially when said youth are producing slabs of sound as sweet as this. This cheeky bunch have got musical smarts about them that’s for sure, being well versed in the bouncy reggae legacy of Bob Marley with more than a nod to the urban Midlands flavours of both Steel Pulse and UB40 (a balancing act they pull off with […]

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The Autonomads – No Mans Land CD

The Autonomads - No Mans Land CD

It’s great to see DIY is still being kept alive by bands like The Autonomads. This release comes in a hand-folded A3 poster inside a hand-sewn hessian bag with a hand-numbered tag showing which one of the thousand pressed you’ve got. Impressive enough before you even get to the content. When you put this much care into the packaging, it’s a pretty good bet you’ll put some serious effort into what’s inside […]

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Dirty Revolution – Before The Fire CD

Dirty Revolution - Before The Fire coverThere may still be a few grey clouds outside but, with a beat packing more bounce than Skippy and a voice that’s as enchanting as a baby’s laugh, this disc is a great way to kickstart the summer season.

Dirty Revolution hail from the not quite so exotic and distinctly untropical climes of Cardiff but sound like they’ve spent their lives fed on a Caribbean diet of […]

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Mafé

A recent chat about things people love over at the Red & Anarchist Black Metal forum led to someone (thanks Starcide) sending me this delicious recipe. Mafé, or peanut stew, is a traditional dish eaten by the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia. They have no hesitation in adding chunks of dead stuff to theirs, but it’s simply a matter of replacing that bit with life-friendly ingredients to make it suitably vegan. I used tofu, but a tin of beans is equally as good.

This is a substantial dish and […]

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New Kids On The Plot

One of the posters over at the Profane Existence forum was looking for some beginners tips as they set out to grow for the first time in a new plot this year. I came up with a few suggestions and, as an avid recycler, I’ll put ’em up here too.

Check out your garden’s micro-climate. What’s the garden’s aspect? Are there damp / dry / shady spots? What plant hardiness zone are you in? Which way are the prevailing winds and how strong can they be?

What sort of soil […]

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Millions Of Dead Cops / The Restarts – Mobocracy Split LP

Mobocracy vinylWith two of my favourite bands on one record, I knew the chances of me being impressed were high even before the needle hit the groove. The splatter vinyl and top notch sleeve illustrations by Kieran Restart simply added to the thrill of anticipation. And thrilled I was once the technology did its thing and launched the noise into my living room (and, probably, my neighbour’s too).

It’s hard to believe that MDC have been doing their […]

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Gobsmacked

WOW.

For the first time in many, many years, I’ve been left speechless. A few minutes ago, settling down with my first cuppa and fag of the day, I browsed to my email account for the site. There was one new message waiting. A quick click, a brief scan and my mouth dropped open. I still can’t shut it.

A ‘corporate’ group is offering to buy my web domain name. For $5000.

I can’t say who they are just yet, but it’s a familiar ‘brand’ in the mainstream ‘punk’ business. […]

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Interview With Active Minds Pt. 1

I’ve recently been chatting with Mr Dee Fekt, drummer for the ageless Kismet HC and Death Zone pop combos. KHC went on a mini-tour a few weeks ago with Active Minds, old punks in their own right, and visited some of our nearby European neighbours. Seeing as they were sharing stage space and personal hygiene problems, I asked Dee if he would grab a few words from Bobs and/or Set about whatever took their fancy. He kindly obliged so here’s the first half, with questions based on conversations in the […]

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