Almost exactly one year ago, Chubby And The Gang, the great British punk band that became a solo project, released And Then There Was..., which turned out to be the last of their three albums. Earlier this year, frontman Charlie Manning Walker, otherwise known as Chubby Charles, announced that Chubby And The Gang were no more. But now Chubby is back with a new gang, and they've already got music out.
This morning, we got a Bandcamp notification from Static Shock Records, the consistently excellent UK hardcore label, about EZ8, "a brand new London band with a lot of familiar faces that we go way back with." Only the band members' first names are listed, but the singer is "Chubby," so we already know who that is. If there was any doubt, it's dispelled by the actual music on EZ8's four-song demo. This is catchy, melodic, hard-hitting DIY music -- power-pop that takes the form of sloppy, raw hardcore punk.
Charlie Manning Walker is still belting out the big, visceral hooks that he brought to Chubby And The Gang. But Chubby's records were never quite this lo-fi and immediate. The contrast between the polished songs and the trash-can production reminds me a bit of early Misfits, and that's obviously a good thing. Hear it for yourself below.
EZ8's first show is Saturday; they're playing London's New River Studios with Puffer and the Dogs. They've got a 7" EP on the way.
