Album Review: The Stripp - "Ain't No Crime To Rock 'n' Roll"

 

Sometimes you can tell exactly what you're getting from an album by the cover art and, if you've seen the picture above, you can probably already guess what Aussie rockers The Stripp sound like - fast, furious and filthy rock 'n' roll which kicks in on the Plasmatics style title track with all the subtlety of a hurricane ripping the roof off your house.

The influences are pretty much what you'd expect here - a bit of Motorhead, a touch of Vice Squad, a hint of the Supersuckers but, as with all the best bands of this genre, the key is that the Stripp have the sheer bloody-minded enthusiasm to keep this barrelling through while steadfastly refusing to let your attention go. The fact that they've got a good ear for a decent hook and riff doesn't hurt either. The only slight complaint is that the production's a tiny bit off on one or two tracks with the vocals fighting to be heard above the guitars but it's nowt a bit of extra care in the studio next time won't sort out. Certainly the likes of The Bitter End, Redline and Draw The Line are prime quality scuzz-punk material which definitely deserve your investigation while the slow-fast dynamics of Alien Queen (which reminds me a bit of the Misfits covering the Backyard Babies' Highlights for some reason) and the G'n'R style riffing on closer Don't Feed Me Your Lies shows that they're not just hemmed in by the one sound style.

Along with the Chats, the Stripp are definite proof that the scummier end of Oz rock is clearly back on the rise at the moment. Ain't No Crime To Rock 'n' Roll definitely deserves your attention if the idea of some simple no-nonsense two and a half minute riff-fests appeals to you. So that'll be most of us then.

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NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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