Louder Faster Vol.1 CD (1998)

(I'll get a better scan of the cover shortly, busy playing darts right now...)

Freaks Union
1: Waste Of Space
2: Waiting
3: Union
Speedurchin
4: Won't Get Fold Again
5: E.G.W.A
6: I Don't Belong
The Write Offs
7: Stupid Things
8: Just A Minute
9: Alien
Mutt
10: Whirlpool
11: Fight Back
12: Right To Choose
Homebrew
13: Dull & Duller
14: Why Don't You
15: Climax
Filter Thrust
16: Let Go
17: Penetration
18: Star Lover

This comp featured a whole bunch of bands that gigged with, and hung out a lot together. One of the best punk rock years of my life... It was put out by Dave from Homebrew, and one of his mates. Hulls very own Freaks Union kick things off, giving an early taste to their ever evolving sound. Punk rock, like early Rancid meets the Misfits... Speedurchin deliver the next tracks, Snuff, Ramones, melodic punk rock at hyper speed. Next we got Thirsk ska-punk legends The Write Offs, with their second line up (no Aaron on vox, Katy joined on sax). Mutt follow with their raw rough street punk, SLF meets the Blitz. Homebrew are next, more punk rock from these old but loveable punk rockers. Filter Thrust close the CD, and they're shit. Honestly. A great reminder of what the Thirsk/Harrogate/Hull/Leeds punk posse were sounding like back then...

Dave Heroes says: Its probably best to stop playing this after track 15... Other than that good times, great memories...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?xad6ddy7bgdbu0w

Operation Ivy - Plea For Peace (1992)

1: Uncertain
2: Troublebound
3: Someday
4: Plea For Peace

This site would be incomplete without at least one entry by these guys. Operation Ivy were one of the bands that created the soundtrack to my teens, and still get played a whole ton today... This is a bit of a rare EP, their last official release, four songs that didnt make it onto the classic Energy album, but don't let that put you off, all four songs are great (and hell knows there's tons of terrible Op Ivy songs kicking around on bootlegs all over). You oughta know the Op Ivy sound, originators of ska-core, ska punk, call it what you will, these guys have a real rough punk edge to their ska sound, and match it with decent social/poltical lyrics. One of the best bands what ever happened, and thats no lie.

Dave Heroes says: Only Hitler & cops dont like Operation Ivy...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?xvmd0nsnz4z3lxg

The Leftovers - A Few Days Difference 7" (1994)

1: Nothin Changes
2: Why?
3: The Things We Do
4: The Difference Of A Few Days...
5: URA Bitch And U Gotta Mustache

Quite a nice little EP this is, manic punky ska, with a singer who sounds like he's a cartoon. Dont let that put you off though, its goofy enough to fit the music. Not as generic or as uninteresting as thousands of other bands doing this kind of ska/punk mash up, musically in the same vein as the legendry Op Ivy, but the lyrics are a little more light hearted. If ska punk is yr thing, I'm sure you'll love this rare little beauty...

Dave Heroes says: Operation Ivys younger goofy brother?

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?zsghy04c4vqe4k2

Maniac Squat - Fuck Off 7" (1995)

1: Fuck Off
2: Hey Rude Boy

Apologies for the small pic, photobucket kept taking down our scan of the cover for violating their policies (can't imagine why?), so I had to blag this pic off the net... The first track on this single is a oi-ish punk rock track, with a 'fuck off' laden chorus. Immature, but fun none the less. Best played loud. The b-side is an instrumental ska track, nice and two-tone influenced, and I'm sure you'll love it.

Dave Heroes says: The first ever band to be interviewed in Thirsk zine 'My God Can Beat Up You God'...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?hm5i3yudm6byme7

DeadBeat At Dawn - Just Before Dawn CD (2008)

1: Just Before Dawn
2: Rize Up
3: Wrong Turn (Feat Charlie W)
4: DeadBeat Wrecking Krew

From the ashes of Mafia Vs Ninja & BossEye, the Thirsk retards are at it again. More ska punk rap-core retardedness from the sexiest looking boys in town, and this time they only went to a proper studio and managed to sound like a real band... Four tracks of twisted punk rock, with hints of ska, rap, reggae, rock and Diztruxshun MC-ing from these old timers, still struggling to hold on to the glory days of their youth. With a fixation on low budget horror & apocalyptic films, hip hop & graffiti, and making idiots out of themselves, DeadBeat At Dawn are pretty much the perfect cup of tea for anyone, even yer nana.

Dave Heroes says: Poor lads, give em a chance from me...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?6lo3ctl36dg0gwl

Spithead - Swag (1996)

1: The New National Anthem
2: It's Time to Start Spying on Your Neighbours
3: Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
4: Call The Police
5: Inconvenience
6: Never Say Die
7: Work
8: God made Me A Magnet
9: Liquidizer
10: Bonus Track: Bogus Track

Sorry for the lack of artwork, I got this as a demo to review for my 'zine back in the day, so dont have any to scan, and as yet cant find out on the net. I'll keep having a look tho and sort you out soon... Spithead are political two tone style ska punk, and this a is an awesome album many people have forgotten about or (as it is with the underground scene) never found out about... Half of this album will have you dancing up a reet skank, the other half will have you ready to throw bricks at coppers... I think these guys were from Birmingham, and they long split up, so grab yerself a peice of the past and turn up them speakers...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?umwpx2scywj3scw

The Write Offs / Homebrew Split 7" (1998)

Potatoe Print Records, Green Vinyl

Side A - The Write Offs
1: Legalise
2: McFuck
Side B - Homebrew
3: Punch Drunk
4: Homebrew

I had just left The Write Offs, and just joined Homebrew when this came about. If I was a lucky lad, I'd have managed to get on both sides off this, but alas, I made it onto neither. Although I did write the lyrics to The Write Offs tracks, so alls not lost here... A great green 7" slab of vinyl, with 2 bands who played countless gigs together back in the day. The Write Offs open with a ska/reggae number called Legalise, a song about that special green herb. They follow with a rawkus punk rock blast full of expletives aimed at McDonalds, which was all the rage back in the 90s. Homebrew are here with an early line up, before Lee from Joe Ninety joined. Punch Drunk is a rocking punk song about drinking and fighting, and they follow it up with their anthem, Homebrew - "Drinking & Smoking, Laughing & Joking... We're In It For Life"... A nice blast from the past this is, hope you's enjoy it...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?qosfpgjimp11eto

Mafia Vs. Ninja - Radiation Generation CD (2002)

Self Released EP

1: Crossface
2: Radiation Generation
3: Nobby (Live)

Probably the most crazy, funny and disturbing tour/gig stories I have are from my times in Thirsk Splattercore ska-rap freaks 'Mafia Vs Ninja'. This is probably my favourite MvsN release, apart from the un-released EP we recorded just before we split. These 3 songs are where done while I was on hiatus from the band (but dont let that put you off...). The first track Crossface is ballsy, demented punk rock ska core and rap fuelled mayhem, just bursting with anger and venom, about self-doubt and paranoia. Radiation Generation is a right fucking beauty, more straight melodic punk rock this time, with hints of Bad Religion, about the addiction many people now have with pathetic gadgets, phones, computers and what-not. The 3rd one is a joke song we wrote when we first got together, and is about drummer Nobby, recorded in Hull (I think) and you can catch Jimbo from Freaks Union shouting 'Ay Up, we're from Hull' at the begining... We dropped this from the set early on, so this a chance to relive those foul memories of 7 or 8 inbred morons drunk on stage.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?nnz1db2k1kjylxe

Tha Gremlnz - All Or Nuthin' CD (2006)

D420 Mu-Sick, CD Demo/EP

1: Aqua Dub Intro
2: Blindfolded
3: All Or Nuthin'
4: Helluva Day
5: World Of Demons
6: The Mush Smack
7: Two Thousand And Nineteen
8: The Ballad Of Mr. Crump

Another biased entry here, but who cares? Tha Gremlynz are/were Mr Bear, BeatUp and Bibbow (who all used to be in Thirsk ska punk outfit BossEye), plus some friends who happened to be around while we were recording or writing in our old flat (Finkle Street Bloods, yo). Its a killa mix of styles, mainly ska and rap. The first track Aqua Dub is a quick little dub reggae ditty with a nice sample we stumbled across watching the God channel. Blindfolded is a blazing punk rock thrashy one, featuring Kristian (original Bosseye vocalist & Right To Riot) on vocals, and sampling Nobby from Mafia Vs Ninjas drumming. All Or Nuthin' is pretty much straight forward white boy rap. Shrimp from Thriskploitation did a video for this, which I think is somewhere on MySpace... Helluva Day is a ragga cover of a BossEye song that we never got round to recording, and is sweetened up by the loverly vocals of Charlie W. World of Demons is one of my favourite songs on this, Bibbows rock guitar solo at the start before it goes all hip hop is just too damn awesome for words. Mush Smack is weird, a stoner track probably best sums it up... Two Thousand & Nineteen starts with a sample from the film 2019 (not heard of it? Its one of the best low budget apocalyptic 80s films ever...) and goes into futuristic rock rap, and its worth noting king of comedy Captain Hotknives plays guitar on this too. The EP ends with The Ballad Of Mr Crump, a nice guitar riff and a sample, we keep our shits simples...
Thirsk DIY at its best...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?q8ylbsjx34a4ob4

The Write Offs - Big Dawg EP (1997)

Peter Bower Records 002 (500 pressed vinyl)

1: Fanzine Girl
2: Cold
3: A Song For Me
4: Words
5: Catch The Pigeon

This is a pretty special record to me, it was me first proper band, and our first outting on vinyl. Long long long out of print, limited to (I think) 500, on Peter Bower Records.
Not awesome recording, and the ska-punk genre got pretty much played to death over the following years, but back in 1997, we were all fresh-faced whipper-snappers and this was what we loved to do. Probably best known for the rowdy Yorkshire cover of that cartoon theme, Catch The Pigeon (which is actually Stop the Pigeon, but we never realised, despite the fact we pretty much watched cartoon 24-7 back then). Fanzine Girl is an ultra cheesey ska-punk love song, about a girl I saw selling zines at an Ignite gig back in 96-ish. Its meant to be cheese, and it does the job well. Cold, Song For Me & Words were eventually re-recorded with the second line up (Katy on sax in, Aaron on vox out)...
The Write Offs put out another 7" which was a split with drunk punkers Homebrew, and a few tracks appeared on some compilation cds, and an awful lot of tracks got lost in time. I think the last Write Offs gig was in 2000, not entirely sure. Cheers to everyone who was a part of one of the best times of our lives.
Enjoy our first little baby...

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?djj1ur3u9bob7lh