*** ALWAYS LOOKING FOR TROUBLE ***

THE LONDON DIEHARDS & TATTOOED MOTHERFUCKERS - "LOOKING FOR TROUBLE - SPLIT SERIES VOL. I" ("M.F.S."; CD):

Okay, here it is the newest release of the roughnecks in T.M.F., released on the T.M.F. homeground record label of "M.F.S.". I discovered T.M.F. much too late, and so it was pretty clear that I need this one here, 'cause they're just a damn good band. This is, like you all have already read, a split release, and T.M.F. are teaming up with THE LONDON DIEHARDS, from, ha, London City baby!!! ;-) THE LONDON DIEHARDS are around since 2008, but the guys in the band are in the Skinhead and Bootboy subculture actively involved since the 1980's, yes, and that's, like you all know, the same case when it comes to T.M.F., so you see, some 'old' U.K. Oi! warhorses are teaming up together, and I can tell ya, I was pretty excited about this release. Especially THE LONDON DIEHARDS really made me curious after I'm still a fan of RETALIATOR and THE LONDON DIEHARDS are something like the successor band of RETALIATOR, formed by the RETALIATOR guitrarists Ciaran and Steve (the line up was completed by Cherry and Tel of the EAST END BADOES, and by Annemarie who was taken over the bass work). But if you now expect the same brutal and hard, violent and militant Skinhead Rock that RETALIATOR used to play as a logical resumption of the U.K. brickwall Oi! established by CONDEMNED 84, if you now expect this then you're wrong. THE LONDON DIEHARDS, yet still a hard hitting band, play a more melodic and more relaxed rocking and very Sing-A-Long U.K. Oi! sound that's played in some fluffily mid pace and that's really rocking and coming with some cool organic grooves when it comes to the guitar riffing. And of course, the guitar work is marking the music of THE LONDON DIEHARDS very, very strong, and that for the good and the bad. Great guitar work, very well-versed and merciless forward pushing, great, good lead and solo work, also a good thing, but very much Heavy Metal like guitar solos that occasionally seem to refuse to end, nah, that sucks!!! And that really sucks!!! Beside this, solid and good stuff, pretty much traditional U.K. Oi! after all and if you like the whole 1980's Oi! from England and Britain, played more up to date, yes, then THE LONDON DIEHARDS will be one of your favorite choices. When it comes to me, I have to say that it's good stuff, but not my first choice, if you know what I mean. They deliver us also a bunch of good lyrics (especially "SUICIDE BOMBER" is there to name), and their songs come in a good clean and clear production sound. Okay, after six tracks of THE LONDON DIEHARDS the mighty T.M.F. take the lead. And what shall I say, they convince me also here again!!! Hard, angry, bitter, pissed off and damn violent and aggressive Thug Core music, or how-ever you like to call it, Skinhead, Bootboy, Hooligan Oi! Hardcore music, all very well-versed played, damn good energetic and dynamic songwriting, keeping the attention and making you smile not only once, 'cause it's just great to listen to this noisy and well-oiled Streetmusic machinery coming out from the cold concrete. Hard, rough guitar playing, skull cracking drumming, evil roaring bass playing, and very hard and charismatic vocals, all cultivated by damn great meldoic leads and other suprising stuff that you really have to discover, great!!! I like the songs of the split here even more than their "THUG ANTHEMS" record. Also very good and grapping songwriting (just take a listen to the fantastic and floating changes of the pace in "HEART FULL OF HATE"), and knowing how to play their instruments the guys know anyhow. Great!!! We do also get a bunch of very cool lyrics ("TOUGH MAN", just great) by T.M.F., and also six songs of them, coming also in a very good, beautifully raw and dirty production sound. Also the artwork looks pretty good and seems to be something like the 'corporate identity' of the oncoming records in the row of the "M.F.S." split release series. By the way, also the second release of this split series is out, featuring BAKERZ DOZEN and SKINFULL, so watch out!!! Back to this one here: THE LONDON DIEHARDS do get seven out of ten points, T.M.F. nine out of ten points, so in the summary this record do get a rating from... (8 of 10 points)

(http://www.myspace.com/tattooedmotherfuckers)

(http://www.myspace.com/thelondondiehards)