By Jim Rowland
Hot on the heels of the reissues of the ‘Phoenix’ and ‘Shockgun’ LPs, plus the reformed band’s triumphant recent appearance at the Rebellion Festival, ÜK anarcho-punk favourites Instigators release a new 12” vinyl EP which they are describing as more of a resurrection than a reissue.
The story behind this EP is that the label Sanctus Propaganda approached the band to ask if they could re-issue the 1987 single ‘Full Circle/The Sleeper’. As the band were back together and rehearsing hard, they suggested the twist of re-issuing the original single alongside new re-recorded versions of each song with the current line-up, along with the bonus of a re-recording of ‘Suicide Investigation Team’ from the ‘Shockgun’ LP, making this a proper old school five-track 12” EP.
The original versions here are both quality slices of melodic and catchy punk rock, spiky, punchy and raw with technical twists, and a welcome reissue of what must be pretty hard to find recordings these days.
What strikes you most about the re-recorded versions of ‘Full Circle’ and ‘The Sleeper’, along with ‘Suicide Investigation Team’, is the improvement in sonic quality compared to the original recordings. The delivery is still raw, and the arrangements pretty intact, but the sound is fuller, more powerful and clearer, especially when it comes to the drums. Thus they make great companion pieces to go along with the originals, which have a clear charm of their own.
A quality slice of melodic punk rock for fans old and new alike.
- ‘Full Circle’/’Sleeper‘ is out now.