ALBUM REVIEW: Cato Street Conspiracy – Cato Street Conspiracy (Dammit Records)
Cato Street Conspiracy are a four-piece streetpunk band from Kent who formed during the lockdown summer of 2020.
They take their name from the foiled 1820 attempt to murder the British Prime Minister and his entire cabinet.
Studz (vocals) is joined by guitarist John Sharland (also in Perjury and Snide), Nick Emmerick (also of Snide) and drummer Alex Canfield.
This is their debut album, released by new DIY label Dammit Records, who’ve also released CDs by Snide and NYC’s Mad Mulligans (reviewed here).
Their influences are wide and varied, but there’s a heavy nod to late ’70s/early ’80s oi! and UK82 in the 10 tracks here, as well as a hint of early 1980s American punk.
I love John’s guitar sound, but a band’s only as good as it’s rhythm section, and Cato Street Conspiracy’s is very tight indeed. Singer Steve’s gruff tones remind me a lot of Iain Kilgallon of Beerzone and Control fame.
It’s straight down to business with opener Brylcreem Boys, an ode to dodgy Cockney geezers of a certain vintage.
It’s a song that wouldn’t sound out of place on an early album by The Business – which is obviously a very good thing.
Allegiance To No-One is another slice of fast-paced punk rock, and the upbeat tempo is a notable feature of the whole album, which fairly shifts along.
One of the standout tracks is Can I Be More Punk Than You?, their acerbic put-down of old punks whose Doc Martens are rooted firmly in the past.
1977 references
Borrowing the intro from Blitzkrieg Bop, the song’s strewn with references to the Roxy, safety pins, ripped-up jeans and blue hair.
But it concludes that they’re “overweight and hair’s gone grey, your anarchy just fades away”.
Square Peg Round Hole, about not fitting in, is another highlight, while Two Sides To Every Story sounds like The Partisans circa 1982 – yes, it’s that good.
Steve shows his vocal power on Woah!, and the closing They is another rousing streetpunk anthem. The only disappointment is in the title track, about the infamous event which gave the band their name. It sounds like a rough demo, and would benefit from a bit more polish.
Cato Street Conspiracy are working on new songs, as well as hoping to start gigging shortly. For now this will do as a very enjoyable taster of what they can do. 8/10.
- Cato Street Conspiracy is available on CD or to download from the Bandcamp page HERE.
