Back catalogue: Punk/Hardcore

Review: RECOMMENDED
'Model Village' is IDLES at their most unapologetic best - giving subtlety a wide berth in favour of an on-the-nose observational diatribe that delivers a knock-out-blow to the Broken Britain we see before us today. Arguably one of their most accessible tracks in terms of musicality, firmly sitting in the rock 'n' roll camp (albeit with flashes of punk-ish fangs), it's also (mostly) radio friendly, and yet utterly unforgiving and uncompromising with its message.

"Got my head kicked in in the village / There's a lot of pink skin in the village / Hardest man in the world in the village / He said he got with every girl in the village" could be the lines that summarise what we're talking about best. Basically a cutting, sardonic, honest and depressingly accurate take on these islands of ruin, racism and exceptionalism. Simply put, we really don't know where we would be without this band.

Review: Not to be confused with the 12th studio album by Mary J. Blige, or any of the other records with 'London Sessions' in the title (and there will be many, many), it's now 50 years since Iggy Pop and his Stooges sat down to record the now-legendary LP, Raw Power, with sessions taking place (you guessed it), in London. Logically, this extended player collates some of the best versions that didn't make the final cut into one place, and as such is definitely a must for diehard fans and collectors.

Not that others should be put off in anyway. We'd still recommend getting a copy of the original as it was intended to be released. The players designed it that way. But this is also a well-worth owning piece of punk rock history, with unrelenting, unpolished, uncompromising and unapologetic noise sounding as infectious today as it did back then.

Review: This six-track mini-album delivers Southern Californian punk at its best - fast, furious and packed with anthemic sing-along tracks. The new pressing comes on translucent white vinyl and includes an additional bonus track: a high-energy cover of Bad Brains' iconic 'Banned in D.C.,' originally released on a split 7? with Good Riddance. Combining raw energy with infectious melodies, this release captures the spirit of the punk scene with a fresh twist so whether you're a long-time fan or a new set of ears, this updated version offers a perfect opportunity to dive into the band's powerful and relentless intensity.

Review: Despite being at the centre of one of rock's tensest social media dramas in recent history - having been called out by Fat White Family for being too middle-class for their own image - Idles are back on top, thanks to their new album 'Crawler'. Taking a chance on their own criticisms, this album is more introspective than 'Ultra Mono', revealing the band's various wrestlings with addiction and desperation. In true post-punk fashion, it's an emotive sophomore development from lead brain Joe Talbot, spanning plod-rap grungers ('Car Crash') and dark disco-rock ('When The Lights Go On'), all giving off his signature brand of hopeful nihilism, with the ultimate message that 'the show must go on'.

Review: Despite being at the centre of one of rock's tensest social media dramas in recent history - having been called out by Fat White Family for being too middle-class for their own image - Idles are back on top, thanks to their new album 'Crawler'. Taking a chance on their own criticisms, this album is more introspective than 'Ultra Mono', revealing the band's various wrestlings with addiction and desperation. In true post-punk fashion, it's an emotive sophomore development from lead brain Joe Talbot, spanning plod-rap grungers ('Car Crash') and dark disco-rock ('When The Lights Go On'), all giving off his signature brand of hopeful nihilism, with the ultimate message that 'the show must go on'.

Review: If the greatest bands evolve over the course of their career, IDLES are clearly on the right track. While the Bristol-band rose to prominence via a raw, noisy and aggressive sound that sat somewhere between post-punk and alt-rock, Tangk - their fifth album and first for three years - represents a genuine (and deliberate) tearing up of their previous trademark sound. Inspired specifically by a desire to "make people dance and make people feel", it feels like a successful attempt to move into the punk-funk/rock-rave territory previously defined by LCD Soundsystem. It's fitting then that James Murphy and company feature on standout (and recent single) 'Dancer'. The nods to the glory years of DFA Records continue throughout, with further highlights including the moody, low-slung brilliance of 'Grace' and the righteous heaviness of 'Gift Horse'.

Review: Scene Of The Crime serves up a remastered compilation of previously unreleased rare studio recordings from Iggy & The Stooges. All recorded in 1973; the same year the band would distil the frustration of their initial 1971 break up, their subsequent return upon Iggy failing to pin down adequate replacements, as well as the unchecked ego, rife drug abuse and tour burnout, into the blistering classic we now know as Raw Power. Remastered to their highest quality yet, and boasting alternate takes of gems such as 'Cock In My Pocket', 'Tight Pants,' and 'I Got A Right', this is a must-have slice of rarity for any devout Stoogist.

Review: With their self-titled seventh album, and first with current vocalist Eli Santana, set to drop later this year, Californian melodic hardcore punk mainstays, Ignite are to unveil a reissue of arguably their most important work, 'Our Darkest Days.' Taking influence from peers such as AFI, the band would take strides to imbue their thunderous, seething energy with more melodious compositions, ultimately capitalising on the burgeoning post-hardcore movement of the early to mid-noughties. With earnest, politically driven lyrics, unkempt venom and an immense vocal shift and performance from original frontman, Zoli Teglas; this fourth full-length begat an entirely new chapter for the group in 2006, while they clearly have shown zero sign of letting time or age catch up with them in the present day. Rediscover a genre staple right before another imminent rebirth lands.

Review: With their self-titled seventh album, and first with current vocalist Eli Santana, set to drop later this year, Californian melodic hardcore punk mainstays, Ignite are to unveil a reissue of arguably their most important work, Our Darkest Days. Taking influence from peers such as AFI, the band would take strides to imbue their thunderous, seething energy with more melodious compositions, ultimately capitalising on the burgeoning post-hardcore movement of the early to mid-noughties. With earnest, politically driven lyrics, unkempt venom and an immense vocal shift and performance from original frontman, Zoli Teglas; this fourth full-length begat an entirely new chapter for the group in 2006, while they clearly have shown zero sign of letting time or age catch up with them in the present day. Rediscover a genre staple right before another imminent rebirth lands.

Review: Comprised of former members of seminal death metal acts such as Obituary, Massacre, Death, and Six Feet Under, Florida's Inhuman Condition deal in a pulverising blend of breakneck death-thrash. Following on from last year's crushing debut full-length, 'Rat God', their sophomore effort, 'Fearsick', capitalises on the blistering momentum of its predecessor with furious abandon. Unpretentious, punishingly heavy and just self-aware enough to allow a jovial smile to crack between sonic barrages of heft, this is a love (or death if you prefer) letter to beer-soaked, scare your neighbours thrashed up death metal mayhem in all its grim glory.

Review: Iron Monkey are loved by fans for pulling no punches and now the popular UK metal outfit is back with a much anticipated new album that delivers their sound with full and unrelenting force. Spleen and Goad comes with a suitably dark cover on aqua blue vinyl and features some of the group's most gritty work in their 25 year career, which means they will retain their titles as kings of the "doom sludge vanguard." All of the nice cuts are powerhouses with mad heavy riffs on the opener 'Concrete Shock' signalling what to come and there is no let up from there with fuzzed out guitars, pounding drums and gutters snarls and vocal barks.