EP REVIEW: Noah And The Loners – A Desolate Warning (Marshall Records)
Noah And The Loners are a young punk band from London who have been creating quite a stir in their two years together – and this debut EP shows just why.
Led by frontman Noah Lonergan, from whom they take their name, theirs is an energetic take on snotty punk rock like it used to sound.
It’s good to hear the youth of today being just as pissed off about social injustice, inequality and other problems of the day as the older bands who’ve seen it all before, written the song and worn the T-shirt.
The four-piece – completed by Amber Welsh (bass), Noah Riley (drums) and Joseph Boyle (guitar) – make a glorious racket which is raw, unapologetic, and reminds me very much of hearing bands like Stiff Little Fingers and Green Day for the first time.
Noah And The Loners are influenced by a newer generation of punk bands – the likes of IDLES, Shame, Fontaines DC, Slaves (now Soft Play) and Bob Vylan – but don’t think for a moment that they’re not as angry as the old school.
A Desolate Warning consists of five in-your-face slices of angry modern punk rock, all delivered in raw, unapologetic style, and with impressive musicianship for ones so young.
Things kicks off with lead single Crash Landing, which has been earning them airplay from the likes of Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens.
I’m hooked from the first bars and the shouted intro: “1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4”, and that’s before the furiously riffing guitars, pummelling drums and driving bass have even kicked in properly.
Lyrically, the song paints a dystopian image of life in Britain today, with street riots, violent police, politicians without morals and scared children.
It quickly becomes a call to action as Lonergan demands: “This calls for/Another crash landing/Get Parliament burning!” By the time we reach the final verse it’s become the ‘desolate warning’ of the EPs’ title, as he sings: “A rotten future’s forming/Great Britain’s ending…”
Just Kids is up next, a slice of teenage angst about coping with adolescence and falling in love for the first time, and it’s followed by You Make Me (Fall Apart), about toxic relationships. It reminds me of The Blinders in the breakdown, furious drumming. coruscating riffs.
Losing My Head tackles one of the biggest youth issues of today, mental health, and Lonergan sounds wise beyond his years as he sings “let me catch my breath”. I’m sure we’ve all felt like that sometimes, and isn’t it great that in these times it’s okay to talk about it?
Things come to a raucous end with Hell Of A Day, a song about missing your train home after seeing your football team get beat, and his mood turning even darker as he spits “I hate this town, it’s full of scumbag cunts/Turn down street after street there’s always kids dealing drugs.”
As an opening gambit, A Desolate Warning is right up there with the best I’ve heard. Noah And The Loners are a youthful breath of fresh air in a punk scene which all too often send the old guard into gatekeeper mode when they see something new and exciting. I look forward to watching them grow and flourish.
- A Desolate Warning EP is available on red vinyl from Noah And The Loners’ Bandcamp page HERE.
