Northern punk band The Puncturists are back with a defiant new single which celebrates the joys of getting older.
The band, formed in 2021 by three past and present members of Barnsley noisemakers System Of Hate, have had a change of personnel since their 2022 debut, The Punk Tourists EP (reviewed here).
Founding guitarist Pat Crawford is the only remaining original member, and he’s joined by Gail Townsend on vocals, Martin Gregory on drums and Dale Farrow on bass.
The download-only single 55 is the first taste of their forthcoming album I’m Not Alright, which will be released on their own Dead Swan Records, but has been delayed.
It’s their first new music since the new line-up’s first recording, Foxed As a Newt, which was recorded live in Leeds and released last September.
55 is a mid-paced number which tells the story of Gail’s singing career, giving a middle-fingered salute to those who told her she was too old to start singing in a punk band.
The single has its own video, filmed earlier this month in the seaside town of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire, which is every bit as glamorous as it sounds.
Pat says: “People were saying to Gail ‘why are you bothering?’, ‘you are way too old’ and some even said she wasn’t good enough and she should be at home knitting. So we celebrate being too old and not giving a monkey’s. Enjoy it people, life begins at 55!”
The band are now based in Barnsley, Goole and Grimsby, and two tracks of the album are still left to mix because their producer Steve Ellis has had to care for his father since his mother had a bad fall.
Pat added: “We totally understand and we are so happy with what Steve has done, we will of course wait for him to complete the mixes. We wish his mum a speedy recovery.”
- 55 is available to download now from The Puncturists’ Bandcamp page HERE.
