The Black Marias
East Coast Oi! Fest
May 2008
text & pix by Jillian
(SugarBuzz Wash DC/Richmond))
SugarBuzz Magazine
Equating earlier punk, cutting lyrics slice over a melodic catchy song entitled, ‘Substance, Comfort and Care.’ Chunky-hard drum beats and searing guitar culminates Mitch’s sharp post-punk vocals. Well-distributed harmonies with unfiltered bass plods with stealth and overstated wit and sarcasm. The Black Marias gives the two fingers up to the music industry, all the while still smiling.
The next song throws in a Shakespearean curveball with, ‘To Chav Or To Chav Not,’ with unregistered tribal drums and signature hefty bass. Scratch guitar mutes the agro, creating a more ‘Gang of Four’ post-punk wrap-up with a catchy menacing chorus. Steeped in heavy-accent croonings, heart-vibrating drums and throat-rattling bass resonates from head to toe. I love that!
‘ASBO,’ spearheads in like a catalytic converter, purging in those searing guitar scales along a ganged-vocal chorus. Mitch in polarizing monotoned vocals now inflicts expression, and takes over in melodic grit irritation to build momentum, and ending with angst still suspended in the air.
Faster cadenced, ‘Another Day, Another Dollar,’ off of their new CD entitled, “Minority,” which will be released this fall—duct tapes Social Distortion guitar with chunked drum ‘n bass palpitations. Mitch steps aside from monotoned vocals to deliver a feisty “Fuck You,” as the lead riff battles out the beat as gang vocals layer the end of the song.
‘May Day,’ totally surprises everyone. Introducing The Clash’s reggae-influenced, ‘Bank Robber,’ song, bops to a stop, allowing Mitch to bulldog into the first verse. After steady beats, the cadence shifts back to ‘Bank Robber,’ but is replaced with the lyrics, ‘Punk Rocker,’—which is fitting. Revival guitar and Mitch’s rolling ‘R’s in the chorus references a reminiscent stand-out of The Sex Pistols, ‘Bodies.’ Nice touch.
Lastly, ‘Clockwork Army,’ closes the set with a slow gang sing-a-long with charging street punk. Harvests of searing guitar and yes, a harmonica, slow down to ½ time on the stomp-beat, just before the chorus maestros up to the M8. “Wohs” and military drums wonderfully keep time to the “Left, Right Left,” background vocals of Mitch and Jimmy. Singing in drunken camaraderie, The Black Marias is East Coast Oi Fests’ Black Horse.
www.myspace.com/theblackmariasuk
www.myspace.com/eastcoastoifest