By DJ Monk
Dirt Box Disco will be a name more than familiar to long-term regular ÜR readers, as they have (dis)graced these pages more times in the past decade than Donald Trump has topped up his fake tan during the same period… and, that’s a lot! Part of the reason for their frequent appearances has been their sheer productivity: a band who, until recently, never seemed to stop gigging more incessantly than said Mr Trump has heralded “fake news”, they have now presented us with their eighth – yes, you read that right – studio album in less than ten years – and the first since the even more prolific Spunk Volcano stepped up to take over main vocal duties since the departure of WEAB around this time last year.
‘TV Sex Show’ is everything you would expect from the Disco kings: 12 tracks (14 if you count the two bonus songs on the CD edition) of energetic, no nonsense, straight ahead glunk ‘n’ roll with the emphasis on having good old-fashioned inane fun while delivering catchier than C-19 riffs and melodies – and, of course choruses that have you singing along within seconds of first hearing them.
Right from the off, Messrs Volcano, Fazzo, Fingers and Deadbeatz prove that they truly are an ‘Unstoppable’ rock ‘n’ roll force majeure: “if you’re with us, we’re with you” declares Spunk… and with you we most certainly are, you dirty bastid. And early on in this collection of manic musical madness comes ‘Insomniac’, which The Dark Queen immediately decreed may possibly be the greatest punk rock love ever written… and I for one ain’t gonna argue with such a royal stamp of approval. Other highlights, for me anyway, include lachrymose lusciousness of ‘3 Bottles Down, the in(s)anely glorious gang vocal fuelled ‘Bitch Full Of Stitches’, the aptly titled genre-bashing ‘Simple But Effective’ and the toe-tapping ‘Tizwatitiz’ (one of the two bonus tracks which make the CD worth the price of investing in a copy alongside one of the ‘mystery’ coloured vinyl versions)
The riffs, the hooks, the melodies, the choruses – and, of course, the pure angst-fuelled energy – come tumbling from the speakers with carefree abandon, as DBD prove once again that they are four of the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll party animals, carrying on a fine British tradition of producing world-beating power pop bands who never fail to consistently deliver on every level. Get your ears around this one, ladeez and gentleworms – you certainly won’t regret turning up the volume on this sickly unctuous and deliciously explicit offering.
- ‘TV Sex Show’ is out now. You can get your copy, and loads of other DBD goodies, HERE.
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