ALBUM REVIEW: The Bar Stool Preachers – Above The Static
(Pure Noise Records)
The Bar Stool Preachers (BSP) are one of the UK punk scene’s brightest up and coming bands, and this is their third album.
The Brighton-based band have spent the last eight years carving out a reputation as one of the most entertaining live acts around with their lively ska-punk.
But just when you think you know what to expect from the six/seven-piece (it varies), they go and turn those preconceptions inside out and upside down with Above The Static.
Denied a major label deal by the Covid-19 pandemic, they signed instead to Pure Noise Records (home to Less Than Jake/Bouncing Souls/Spanish Love Songs).
And although it’s been five long years since their last long-player, 2018’s Grazie Governo, it’s certainly been worth the wait.
They’ve worked with some useful producers on the album which could make or break them: Kevin Bivona (The Interrupters), Ted Hutt (Dropkick Murphys/Flogging Molly) and Ben Hannah (Nosebleed).
One listen of the opening track Call Me On The Way Home, released as the lead single just before an exultant performance at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool last August, will have suggested they’re headed in a new direction.
It’s an upbeat pop-punk number, packed with call and response verses, ‘woah-oh’ choruses and a bigger sound than the band have ever had before, I didn’t take to it right away, as it sounded too polished, too commercial, but listen to the words and you’ll realise it’s about dealing with depression.
This new, improved BSP sound is one you’d better get used to, because they’ve really upped the ante production-wise on this record, and then some. They sound HUGE, but also throw in a couple of surprises.
All Turned Blue, the second single, is about falling in and out of love, and – like its predecessor – is obviously aimed at attracting the attention of a new audience. It’s another catchy tune with a big chorus you can sing along to, and a ska breakdown just to add that BSP stamp.
Indeed, fans of old will find plenty among the 12 tracks to keep them happy. Flatlined, two songs in, is another upbeat number, with a middle eight which sees frontman Tom McFaull namecheck The Streets as he spits lyrics Mike Skinner-style, and another earworm chorus.
Doorstep, the third single, sees the boys show they can rock out with the best of them; it’s about dealing with your personal demons, it’s a right rabble rouser, with an infectious chorus and some heavy metal guitar.
Our fucked up society is the subject of Never Gonna Happen, with more rap-style delivery from Tom, and another of those irresistible singalongs, while Laptop is another stomper which should go down a storm when they play it live.
Things start to get really interesting with track seven, Lighthouse Keeper, a poignant piano ballad which might be the best song they’ve written yet. I was stunned the first time I heard it, in a good way.
Featuring just Tom’s voice and some plaintive piano from Alex D. Hay, it’s as far from a typical BSP song as you can imagine. I’ve followed the band’s fortunes for a few years, and had no idea they had a song like this in them.
It’s about living your best life, even if your dreams seem strange to others, and it could be the song that breaks the band to a much wider audience. I wonder if they’ll play it live?
The doo-wop start to Love The Love is another first for the BSP, but they pull it off with aplomb before opening up into a full-on rock ‘n’ roll stomper, and it’s another contender to be the standout song on the album.
Don’t get the idea they’ve gone all soft though; Prince Of Nothing, propelled by Bungle’s strident bassline, is an angry swipe at a toxic friend – ‘king of bullshit – this one’s for you’, while Two Dog Night, with some great buzzsaw guitar, calls out those who vilify addicts and the homeless without knowing why they’re living on the streets.
Fans of the band’s ska-punk of old will love Don’t Die Today, perhaps the most typical BSP song here, and one which has already got the moshpit skanking when they’ve played it live.
Things come to a close all too soon with Going Forward, which could be taken as mission statement for the band themselves as Tom urges the listener ‘try something different’. It begins acoustically, and adds violin, piano and eventually the full band until it reaches a crescendo. It’s another very different song from a band who have shown their willingness to take risks.
The BSP have opened up their palette, dipping into a veritable grab-bag of rock ‘n’ roll styles, but their songs remain infectious, and should resonate with anyone who shares their appetite to change the way we live and behave towards each other.
Above The Static is the sound of a very talented set of musicians who are just starting to spread their wings, escape their pigeonhole and begin to realise their full potential. I like it more every time I hear it. 9/10.
