Fashoda Crisis - Mischief Of One Kind And Another
Fashoda Crisis hail from that increasingly, if unlikely, fertile hotbed of musical talent, Southend and play a very ‘now’ brand of hardcore / post punk with smart, bright tunes and intelligently politicised lyrics.
Their name gives away the fact that this is no mere pop band we’re dealing with here, taken from a territorial dispute between Britain and France in the late 19th century that brought the two nations to the brink of war.
The Crisis were pitched to me as sounding like McLusky, and while there’s a hint of that in there, I’d say they veer more towards the noise of Fugazi combined with the outlook of Gang Of Four. A corking combination.
Despite being able to play the ‘guess their record collection game’ with a number of their tracks, they definitely just show their influences rather than blatantly copy. Each familiar sound is twisted to expose something of their own inside and many of the songs address the issues of the day; ‘If Charlie Simpson Ruled The World’ and ‘Land Of The S.O.P.’ both tap in to some of society’s current paranoia, to give the album a thoroughly modern edge.
The record rattles along, seven tracks most of which are under four minutes, and is thoroughly engaging and entertaining, but very much gives the feeling that the live arena is where these guys are really at, the record can barely hint at the energy and exuberance that this band have simmering under the hood.
Top Tracks: 'If Charlie Simpson Ruled The World', ‘What God Meant To Say’.