Tis the time of year of cashing in on record releases – and no this isn’t a Christmas song, far from it. Back in the mid-seventies during Punk’s First Wave came a band from Finchley, North London; who went by the name Eater. In comparison to their peers they were mere youngsters, but still managed to make a small early dent in the movement. Anyway, their fire burned out after three years and they went their separate ways.
Wind forward some 42 years and the then producer Dave Goodman’s ‘lost tapes’ have been updated with guitar parts for a late November release in limited edition formats – three to be precise. Collectors take note, these releases are for your kind.
“No Brains” begins all clicky guitar chords before the drums kick in, and those vocal howls appear thereafter. This sounds like the vocal tones of a man who favours “Capstan non-filters” – harsh and throaty, snarly and direct. The lyrics are (in my humble opinion) a tad predictable, but considering the ages of the then band members one could forgive. The song then descends into a messy cacophony of noise before its abrupt end. It’s First Wave to its core but heavily influenced I feel by our American cousins from New York circa 1976/77. “No Brains” is a nostalgic re-tread of former glories; but with so many bands reaching for the past, what better than to hear something original. The single is backed by a cover of the T Rex classic “Jeepster”.
Links
https://antennarecords.company.site
Review by Ross A. Ferrone.
