ALBUM REVIEW: The White Ribbons – Not An Original Bone In Our Body (STP Records)
The White Ribbons are a four-piece punk band from Bradford/Manchester and this is their long-awaited (by me anyway…) debut album.
Formed in mid-2017, they take their name from and actively support the global White Ribbon movement, which campaigns to end male violence against women.
I first came across them when their track Same Old Mistakes (later renamed Burst) was included on a compilation of bands appearing on the Introducing Stage at the 2018 Rebellion Festival in Blackpool.
Standout track
The White Ribbons next crossed my radar in 2020, first with their second EP (reviewed here), then with a cover of Buzzcocks’ You Say You Don’t Love Me on the Yesterday’s Not Here compilation celebrating the genius of Pete Shelley. It was one of the standout tracks.
This album was due out in 2021, and most of the songs will be familiar to anyone who’s seen them live or heard their singles. In fact, seven of the 11 tracks have been released before, which is the only disappointment (though it does make the album feel like a ‘greatest hits’).
Things kick off with a new track, Lady Penelope, which references the heroine of TV’s Thunderbirds, but I guess is more about strong female role models, rather than puppets. Whatever the case, it’s a great opener, immediately pulling you in with its message and musicality.
Make no mistake, as well as having a strong social conscience, this band can play; the guitars of Andrew Illingworth and Brian Mitchell throw out infectious buzzsaw riffs while Tony Saunders (bass) and John Bolton (drums) lay down a rock-solid rhythm. Mitchell is also the singer, and wears his heart on his sleeve, pouring emotion into his vocals.
Melodic punk
Next are some more familiar songs, the three tracks from the band’s self-titled 2019 single. Burst (about not being listened to), One In Six (couples growing apart), and Greatest Man (domestic violence) have all been re-recorded and given fresh vigour, and sound better than ever.
Social Work, Cats and Rocket Science, a hidden track on the second EP, remains a curiosity which seems at odds with The White Ribbons’ usual melodic punk. This acoustic tune reflects on how people from different backgrounds can get along – a lesson to us all.
The aforementioned Buzzcocks cover, You Say You Don’t Love Me, from the classic album A Different Kind Of Tension, is next, and if there’s one band I’d compare The White Ribbons to it’s Bolton’s finest purveyors of pop-punk. A perfect cover of a great song.
The next new song is Car Crash, a powerful message about the way some men of a certain age treat younger women. You can feel the disdain as Mitchell sings: “She’s half your age, you should be ashamed – you fucking dick!”
Leftovers, the stunning David Bowie tribute, which is about the wider subject of coping with loss, remains as jaw-dropping as ever as Mitchell implores “Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing we can do/And Planet Earth is black, please Starman, come back.”
Daring to be different
S.O.P.H.I.E. is another song which will halt you in your tracks. It’s about Sophie Lancaster, a young goth woman who was kicked to death in a Lancashire park by a gang of teenagers for daring to look different.
This re-recorded version has even more urgency than the original, with anger overtaking sadness as the over-riding emotion. This version is even more in your face as Mitchell demands: “Can you hear me, cause you spoke too soon?/Can you see me, when you’re staring at the moon?” What a song.
The album closes with two more new tracks. The uplifting Have A Nice Day opens with a riff recalling Knocking On Heaven’s Door before dipping into I Think We’re Alone Now and urging the listener to “have a nice day, remember the face in the photograph”.
Just What Fred Would’ve Wanted shows The White Ribbons offering an acerbic verdict on the money-making machine that is the post-Freddie Mercury incarnation of Queen: “Brian May’s eternally permed hair – 50 fucking years of that haircut! Roger Taylor is a twat.”
- Not An Original Bone In Our Body is being launched at Rebellion on August 3, even though The White Ribbons aren’t playing the festival. It’ll be available at the official Rebellion/STP merch stall, and if there’s one CD to buy this year, it’s this one. 9/10.
