Gone by Last Under The Sun

Last Under The Sun - Gone CD review by Brum Beat - The Mike Davies Column 2010
Brum Beat

Aside from running Iron Man Records, promoting and being founder of the Birmingham Music Network, Mark Badger also plays guitar in and manages Birmingham based punk outfit LAST UNDER THE SUN. New album Gone (Iron Man) has its fair share of hardcore punk thrash, ripping out numbers like David Icke, Colin Blakemore (single lyric ‘die’) and Out My Way that that last a mere minute, although the equally full throttle The Shed does clock in at an epic 38 seconds. But there’s also the bludgeoning electronics of Painting Is Dead, the early Husker Du shades of The Trolley Song and Summer’s Day, the metal grind of Backwards, Captain Of My Soul’s pulsing psychedelia and even a gentle acoustic folksy guitar intro to Time For Your Leaving before the stabbing distorted riffs take over.

Coming lyrically from the same political bedrock as Crass etc, it’s not overflowing with songs about bruised relationships or wanting to get down on the dance floor, but for those of its persuasion it wears an open heart.

LAST UNDER THE SUN "Gone" CD (Iron man)
International Punk / Hardcore

Grosse surprise que ce groupe anglais, vraiment intéressant, bien produit et original. Je dis original, disons qu’ils n’inventent pas le fil à couper le beurre, mais ils ont intégré un maximum d’influences et les régurgitent en créant leur propre son, sans se soucier des codes de tel ou tel style. La base est plutôt punk-hardcore, mais le rythme souvent décalé, très émo (mais émo sans les voix criées, ouf !). On sent des influences Hc mélodique, crust, noisy. Pas mal de chansons me font penser au dernier album de PROPAGANDHI. Parfois, c’est les débuts de LEATHERFACE, ou des groupes ricains comme CONTRA, KRUPTED PEASANT FARMERZ, OPERATION CLIFF CLAVIN, ou alors des trucs emo-violence comme ASSHOLE PARADE. Je suis pas archi-dingue de ce disque, mais franchement ils ont le mérite de flotter au dessus du lot. www.ironmanrecords.co.uk (Yann)

Last Under The Sun – Gone CD
Itchy Bum 'Zine 2010

I have a weird relationship with Last Under The Sun. I love the idea, the lyrics and artwork, but have never found them an easy listen.

Considering most of them are in Police Bastard they are much more melodic than you’d expect, but over the years their sense of melody and the superbly-crafty songs have slowly, but surely grown on me.

The vocals do not make the listening experience any easier. They hold an almost spoken word quality about them that breaks into a shout on songs such as Summers Day and, again, they may take a while to grow on you.

To all intents and purposes Last… are a punk band, but they’re a punk band which transcends punk and takes it off in a unique direction – one that defies labelling.

Sure they have fast songs, and sure the drums can, on occasion, pound you into submission, but many of the songs are built around a slow-burning melody that grows and grows as the song progresses. And it’s this quality that sets Last... apart from the pack. And that, my friends, is certainly no bad thing. We need a few more band doing something “different”.

This won’t be to everybody’s taste, but if you like Last’s previous releases you’ll love it. Otherwise, give it a few listens before dismissing it, you never know, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Fast Chaotic Hardcore Punk Rock from Birmingham England. Last Under The Sun includes members of Police Bastard, Jilted Generation, Less for Murder & Lokey. Some of the bands that Last Under The Sun have played with include: Subhumans, Active Minds, Red Flag 77, Drongos for Europe, Headjam, Bus Station Looonies, Kismet HC, Dufus, Tiny Elvis, Sensa Yuma, Tarantism, D.O.A, Agrotoxico, Unkind, Uganga.

ironmanrecords.net
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