{"id":13051,"date":"2025-12-02T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T19:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=13051"},"modified":"2025-12-08T19:30:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:30:23","slug":"the-puncturists-continue-to-grow-old-disgracefully-on-debut-album-im-not-alright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=13051","title":{"rendered":"The Puncturists continue to grow old disgracefully on debut album I’m Not Alright"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ALBUM REVIEW: The Puncturists – I’m Not Alright (Dead Swan Records)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Puncturists<\/strong> are a punk band formed in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in 2022, and this is their long-awaited debut album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally comprising three past and present members of dark punk noisemakers System Of Hate, they’ve undergone a line-up change, with guitarist Pat Crawford the sole surviving original member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail Townsend has become permanent vocalist after featuring on their debut EP The Punk Tourists<\/em> (reviewed here<\/a><\/strong>), while Dale Farrow has taken over on bass and Martin Gregory on drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the reshuffle, their sound hasn’t changed too much; The Puncturists are still a ’77-style punk band who take their time over a song, rather than ploughing through it, and the 11 tracks here slip down very nicely indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It kicks off with Pissing Me Off<\/em>, which brims over with understated anger as Gail sings: “Don’t call me snowflake, don’t call me soft\/Get in your pigsty, back to your trough.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"puncturists\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Lead single 55<\/em> sees the vocalist railing against those who told her she was too old to be joining a punk band. She’s only been singing a couple of years, but her voice has a lovely tone, which reminds me of Penetration’s Pauline Murray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Wish I Was French<\/em> doffs the cap to our cross-Channel cousins for the way they take no shit from their government, while Everybody’s On Drugs<\/em> reminds us that we should walk in another person’s shoes before judging them, as we’re all flawed in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spectre <\/em>addresses the problems of a controlling ex, while Give Blood<\/em>‘s public-spirited message couldn’t be more straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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