Published in Sounds, 17th July 1982

Total Chaos | Punk 45s Reviewed by Garry Bushell | SOME EXPLANATIONS: Contrary to recent claims, Total Chaos was never an attempt of mine to ‘monopolise’ or ‘ghettoise’ punk singles. On the contrary, I created this column because good punk singles were getting consistently ignored by wally reviewers, and by bringing them to your attention I was trying to play a part in breaking punk OUT of the indie chart ghetto and back where it should be —on the national and international offensive.

But this was never and is never going to be a place for cosy sycophancy. Total Chaos has got to be critical and opinionated, because constructive criticism is necessary to snap bands out of the false sense of achievement the indie charts have lulled them into.

If you make a single, make a single that MATTERS! Why be just okay all your life? For example, it’s great that the Partisans are in the charts. ’17 Years Of Hell’ is a good song. But it would have been great with a decent production.

Total Chaos hasn’t appeared for ages, partly cos vivacious reviewer Christine Cousins has been too bound up with the joys of impending motherhood (not to mention trying to find the guilty man — didn’t mean it, Chris) and partly cos the other two chaps who had a crack at writing it didn’t quite make the grade.

Total Chaos | Punk 45s Reviewed by Garry Bushell

In our absence we’ve missed some real beauts, though thankfully Peter And The Test Tube Babies (‘Run Like Hell’ — No Future), the Adicts (‘Viva La Revolution’ — Fall Out), the first ‘Total Noise’ compilation, Red Alert (‘Take No Prisoners’ — No Future), Intensified Chaos (‘Think Of England’ — Half Man Half Biscuit) and the Lurkers‘ mighty relaunch (‘This Dirty Town’ — Clay) got covered elsewhere in the paper.

Criminally GBH‘s third EP ‘Sick Boy’ on Clay Records got overlooked, but take it from me it’s bloody fine — three slices of top hole heads down no nonsense cranium crunching chaos.

The ‘A’-side is a particularly vivid and frantic exposé of a poor soul tortured by mad scientists simply because of his natural lust for scantily clad young schoolgirls, the sort you might see strolling round from Kidbrooke Girls sporting suspenders and transparent blouses and (Cont. John Peel programme).

Also missed and very fine: the Newtown Neurotics ‘Kick Out The Tories’/’Mindless Violence’ (CNT), an uncompromising anti-Thatcher debut from Harlow’s finest threesome, though the passionate ‘Mindless Violence’ is the better song here, and a moving attack on one-against-many gang attacks to boot.

And of course: ‘Woman’ from Anti-Nowhere League (WXYZ), a watered down but still particularly moving League-style comment on love and marriage, the tender opening swiftly speeding up into a raving one-sided row.

One single that should have done much better is the Outcasts‘ reappraisal of the old Glitter band hit ‘Angel Face’ (00). What with all this dubious talk of glam-punk in the air, I’d have thought this heavy stomping muscle pop would have been a cert for the charts with airplay. There’s still time, Radio One.

Total Chaos | Punk 45s Reviewed by Garry Bushell

After all that history, it’s great to be able to unveil a fine future happening — the impending debut Riot City EP from Dagenham’s own Ejected, a band who nick other people’s ideas with such gusto it’s very hard not to love em.

A-side ‘Have You Got lOp’ showcases them as a more Oi-some Subs with a nice line in Ramones-dumb chorus chants. B-side ‘Class Of 82’ brushes off the old ‘I’m Not A Fool’ riff for a passionate ode to working class youth — ‘The first to get nicked, and the last to get asked’ — while ‘One of The Boys’ is faster but equally belligerent. Nice one, nice one, as Big El used to say.

Rudimentary Peni proffer a surprisingly good second EP, ‘Farce’, on Cr*ss Records. For a meagre 80p you get FOURTEEN demonic Buzzcock buzzes of songs from one of the finest Brit-thrash exponents. They sound like the old 4-Skins on speed.

Kraut provide one of the best yank-punk imports ever on their own Kraut label called ‘Unemployed’. Built on a distinctive and compulsive guitar riff, this is a relatively mid-tempo put-down of gratuitous rucking with a bold and bouncy feel, some considered guitar work (an American Stuart Adamson?) and, strangely, very Biff Byford reminiscent vocals . . . surely Saxon aren’t leading a secret double life as a Noo Yolk punk band?

Black Flag have been busy too, and their new SST single is a red-hot re-working of the ‘Damaged’ classic ‘TV Party’ complete with handclaps and chantalong chorus.

“Very Skafish” claims the gorgeous Ruth, I’d pass on that and draw the attention of ‘Damaged’ enthusiasts to the two new slabs of urgent controlled noise on the B-side, the tormented ‘I’ve Got To Run’ and the manic ‘No Rules’.

Total Chaos | Punk 45s Reviewed by Garry Bushell

Flag aficionados should also be reminded that their debut pre-Henry single ‘Nervous Breakdown’ is also available, again on SST import, a belligerent beauty much akin to early Buzzcocks on Angel Dust.

Stop press entry from Blackburn band Potential Threat, withering Thatcherites with the pertinent peace time dole queue question ‘What’s So Great Britain?’. Five well rabid tracks tantalisingly trip over each other in a rough, raw and ready succession.

The first release on Dave and Shane’s Resurrection label, ‘Who’s In Control’ from Lunatic Fringe, is a bit of a let-down. Lacklustre punk ordinaire. Whatever happened to the Sex Aids? Perhaps Beki knows.

Unbelievably Riot City Records have come up with a couple of goodies for a change. ‘F”** The World’ from Chaotic Dischord is gumboid stop-start thrash, mad enough to be endearing, and featuring a bonzer buzzing bee guitar break.

Meantimes ‘No Solution’ from Court Martial kicks off with some good clarion call guitar before plunging head first into frantic thrash with a fair to ear-catching chorus. Calm down Simon, you’ll be signing Angela Rippons Bum next.

And finally the obligatory let-down ‘More Short Songs’ from Six Minute War on DIY records: good words, shame about the mouldy soporific sub-Crass music.

50p for six songs brings home my answer to the Clash/Crass ‘Iotsa records cheap’ argument. Personally I’d rather pay a fiver for one album as good and lasting as ‘Bollocks’ than pay the same money for something as boring and forgettable as ‘Sandinista’. It’s like buying a cheap pair of jeans that fall apart after three weeks. About as useful as a nun in a brothel.

And to Northern Ireland’s Outcasts? Well, the ’60s was a great time for chart-pop, and the ’80s has had its moments too. But Bolan apart, the ’70s was the absolute pits, with all that Bell-label and Chinnichap trash. Who wants cover-versions (cover-version, already) of The Glitter Band? (NME, 17/07/82)