ALBUM REVIEW: Zero Tolerance – Too Young To Die (self-released)
Zero Tolerance are a street-punk band from County Durham who have only been together a couple of years, but seemed to arrive fully formed.
That’s because while the four-piece are fairly new, their members have been around the block a few times in other bands. I bet none of them were as good as Zero Tolerance though.
Following an excellent limited run seven-track mini album in 2019 (still available on their Bandcamp page HERE), Too Young To Die is their first full-length album, and it’s more than worth the wait.
It’s the culmination of a couple of years of hard work which has seen Graeme Kitto (vocals), Guy Clark (guitar), Ian Kinsman (bass) and Jim Atteridge (drums) become regular faces on the North East gig scene.
They’re getting better all the time, and were just starting to get their name known outside the region too when Covid-19 hit, but they’ve pressed ahead and released this long-awaited (by me, anyway) album.
Some bands rely on speed, some on power, others on out-and-out aggression, but while Zero Tolerance are capable of all three, their trump card is the way they build up a real sense of foreboding, with the closest comparison I can offer being the Dead Kennedys.
Like all the best street-punk bands they’re proudly working class, unashamedly political, and have got something to say on most of the pressing issues of the day. There are 14 songs here, many of which I’d previously heard live, and there’s not a bad one among them.
One of the standouts of their live set, and of this album, is the powerful opener My God’s Bigger, which has a great bassline, pounding drums, driving guitar riff and Kitto’s distinctive vocals. It argues that religion is the root of all evil, the cause of all wars, and that God does indeed work in mysterious ways.
People On The Street addresses the scandal of homelessness, while I’m Angry is about some of the many injustices in our unequal society, from underfunding of the NHS to people’s apathy about working together for change. It’s not as angry as the closing BBQ Song though; all 15 seconds of it.
As you’d expect, our elected representatives come in for a bit of stick, not least on Fuck The Politicians, which accuses the corrupt ruling classes of picking the pockets of the working classes, while expecting them to put up with austerity.
Nothin’s Gonna Change, which reminds me of 80s legends Blitz, is another howl of frustration at the government who hold our children’s futures in their hands, while Cross Beside Your Name is a swipe at MPs who promise so much when they’re seeking votes but deliver little.
Hold Your Banners High is a slice of working class solidarity which reminds us “if you fight you might lose, but if you never fight you will always lose”. It’s a song which could have been made by the Angelic Upstarts.
If You Hunt is just under four minutes of barely-contained fury which questions how the barbaric pastime of fox-hunting is allowed to exist in the 21st century, demanding: “Why would you? How could you? What are you? If you hunt, you’re a cunt!”
When We Were Young, a real change of pace with some great crunchy guitar, is a nostalgic look at carefree youth, and how what ordinary people want out of life doesn’t really change, despite the passing of the years and losses along the way.
Those who are quick to dredge up people’s past sins, both real and perceived, while ignoring others’, seems to be the moral of Punk Police, while the title track Too Young To Die – another contender for best song here – is packed with emotion and sadly all-too-relevant in these Covid-ravaged times.
I can’t wait to hear these songs live again, but in the meantime, this cracking album will do nicely to help see me through these dark times. 8/10.
- Too Young To Die is available on CD directly from the band. It’s £11 including postage, via Paypal (‘friends and family’) to valkitto@aol.co.uk. It is hoped a vinyl version will be available later in the year.
