ALBUM REVIEW: Boilermaker – Job And Knock (Closed Shop Records)
Boilermaker are a four-piece streetpunk band who were formed in Darlington six years ago, and this is their third album.
Vocalist Max Turnbull, guitarist Phil Coates, bassist Steve Addison and drummer Mike Robson have served their dues in bands like Last Rough Cause and Gimp Fist, but Boilermaker have their own distinctive sound.
They only released their debut album Shop Floor in 2018, and Kill Or Create (reviewed HERE) followed in late 2019, and immediately gate-crashed its way into my top 10 albums of that year.
Where the debut contained 12 slabs of menace-laden street-punk, redolent of 80s skinhead bands like The Last Resort or the 4 Skins, Kill Or Create was much more upbeat sounding.
Job And Knock continues that progression, while containing many of the celebrations of working-class life and culture which made both the previous albums so enjoyable.
There’s 13 tracks in all, kicking off with the shortest song here, You’re Going Nowhere, a warning of dead-end life which makes its point in one minute 36 seconds.
Run-ins with the law have been a feature of previous albums, and The Boys In Blue continues the theme, while My Way Or The Highway tackles living the way you’re told by the ruling class.
Two Kids Two Estates is a nostalgic look back at growing up, and overcoming youthful rivalries to find mates through common bonds like music and football.
The pacey Lockdown is one of the best songs on the album, making the point that everyone ended up in the same boat during the pandemic, whether they were high-flyers or no-hopers.
When All’s Said And Done and Smokescreen both seem to address the sort of fake characters we’ve all come across, who pretend to live perfect lives.
In The Groove is about dressing up and hitting the town, and making your move when the time’s right, while To Pay Is To Fail is a joyful slice of football-related nostalgia about following your team away in good times.
We All Fall Down is another standout song, about the slog of working-class life, whether it’s on a building site or in a cafe, and how the people you meet make the job bearable.
How did you follow that? Easy: with Long Time Dead, another absolute stormer about living life for the moment, ‘cos you never know what’s coming next. It rounds things off on a real high, and makes you want to listen to the whole album again. 8.5/10.
