Back catalogue: Punk/Hardcore

Review: If there was a ever a genre of music that made you feel old through its own ageing process, it's pop-punk and emo. The soundtrack to a 1001 American coming of age movies in the 1990s and, to a lesser extent, the noughties, the high energy, high-emotional quality that runs through these tunes can't help but cast the mind back to what now feels like a more innocent time. But, as the songs made clear, we were actually wrought with complicated self-doubt and uncertainty. 1999 was a peak year for this, with Blink 182, Sum 41 and Avril Lavigne vying for chart positions in the UK alongside dominant trance and dance beats. The Get Up Kids were less visible in Britain, but among the noise this Kansas city crew dropped Something To Write Home About. Achieving significant acclaim Stateside, the record would go on to influence the birth of Fall Out Boy, the Wonder Years, and Taking Back Sunday, among others.

Review:  Reading-based Garage/Punk/Psychobilly band The Go Go Cult signed to the iconic rockabilly-led Western Star label in 2012. This electrifying new album is their sixth studio record since then and it's an electrifying addition to their back catalogue. Led by a frontman who rivals The Cramps' Lux Interior when it comes to a darkly-theatrical approach, the tracklist is bursting with highlights. 'Black Is The Colour Of My Love' is hypnotic and menacing, 'When The Food Runs Out' nods to Joy Division, whilst 'Regeneration' has an air of Fat White Family about it. The label only pressed a limited number of copies, making it potentially a future collectible, not to mention its stunning, niche work of art thanks to retro illustrator Vince Ray's cover.

Review: This album is the ultimate treasure for fans of the legendary American rock outfit Green Day. It is a special limited edition and hand-numbered yellow marbled vinyl pressing of the band's legendary 1994 Woodstock broadcast, which has never been available on wax before. As we as the tracklist form that historic night when the band were at the height of their fame, it also includes a rare gem from Saturday Night Live with an explosive performance of 'Geek Stink Breath.' But that's not all, as it also features three ultra-rare acoustic recordings from WMMR radio making it a must-have for every Green Day nut.

Review: A defining moment in latter day punk rock history originally released in 2004, capturing the disillusionment of a generation at the time, Green Day's American Idiot now gets a special 20th Anniversary edition. Hits like 'American Idiot' itself and 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' still resonate with audiences today though, and this anniversary edition enriches the original with unreleased demos, live tracks and alternate versions, offering a deeper glimpse into the album's creation. A must-have for longtime fans and new listeners alike.

Review: Following on from their self-released 2022 debut EP Spiritual Disease, UK based blackened metallic hardcore newcomers Grief Ritual make good on all of their initial malevolent promise with the debut full-length Collapse. Combining the low-end, chug-heavy beatdown style of Knocked Loose with more heinous elements of extreme metal, they conjure an oppressive atmosphere that looms over every breakdown, crunching riff or guttural, tortured bellow. Exploring themes of human extinction, capitalism, genocide, ecocide, as well as the rise of populist right authoritarianism, this is as punk as it gets in ethos and message yet conveyed with more viciousness and caustic horror than any death metal act of the modern era.