Midlands punks MC16 have released a new single as their first proper full-length album draws ever closer.
Shoot ‘Em Up!, a strident anti-war song inspired y the ongoing conflict in Gaza, is the latest taste of the as-yet-unnamed debut album.
It’s the fifth single they have released in recent months, but the first since Polytechnic, back in February.
Classic punk
MC16 believe music should challenge, confront, question and entertain, and they play a short, sharp shock take on classic punk rock.
They released their debut EP Outvoted By Robots (reviewed here) in 2019, and a mini-album … No Blood No Guilt collecting all their early releases in 2022.
Decent Pubs And Murder was the first taste of their new material in May 2023, and they released One From Another last September, and Data Donors in December.
Drummer Duffy explains the thinking behind Shoot ‘Em Up!: “If there actually are rules of war then rule one seems to be it’s perfectly okay to bomb families as long as you say that you meant to hit a military target – although it seems you don’t even have to say that now! War is just an action.”
The chorus of MC16’s new single is deliberately simple: military weaponry may have evolved over the years but military orders have not. Shoot ‘Em Up!
“The military leaders bemoan the fact that modern warfare is so different because today’s enemy don’t wear uniforms, but they certainly don’t wear bibs and have a dummy in their mouth,” says bassist Quinn.
Collateral damage
“I see dead children in the rubble, and it upsets me. Emergency services have to try and shut it out, but they still have nightmares, so how come world leaders are so immune to it and use phrases like ‘unfortunate’, and ‘collateral damage’?”
Shoot ‘Em Up! is perhaps MC16’s most emotionally-driven song to date and will feature on their forthcoming debut full-length album, which is set to be released later this year.
The song was recorded with Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, The Professionals) at the Old Cider Press Studios in Worcestershire, with the video created by regular collaborator Hutch Films.
MC16 have played a string of dates this year, including supporting 999, Knock Off, The Samples and Resistance 77.
Shoot ‘Em Up! is available on all digital streaming services and via the band’s Bandcamp page HERE.
MC16band.bandcamp.com
