CITIZEN KEYNE - STAND PROUD After bursting forth into the maelstrom of punk rock recordings with the fantastic 'Ungreat Britain' I wondered how Citizen Keyne would follow up that classic cut of street punk. A 'live' viewing at one of my SAS gigs built up my confidence in the band and a few new tracks filled me with the belief that the next album would be a bit of a stormer. When asked to do the initial review well in advance of the release date I was more than a little honoured and believe me when I say after several spins of the disc I was fuckin' elated. We have here a very solid construction built on the sturdy foundations of the bands first release. The sharp turn of tongue is still there, the anthemic sing-a-long pride and the rowdy street based lyrical content. This ain't powder puff music you can have on in the background, this is balls-out disgruntlement of the highest order and I for one fuckin' love it. We unhinge our minds straight away with the very effective 'Mental'. We are immediately whipped into rock and roll fervour with this masterplan of rabble raising raucousness. From the opening explosion the war is all action with guitar guns blazing, cock sure vocals sniping, landmine drums exploding and the muffled bomb bass rumble wiping out the last few survivors. Real high power intro as it should be and bootstomping the attention out of all in the vicinity. 'Who Are You' questions hard and questions deep but does it in such a forthright fashion against some swinging riffs that you can't help but love it. Liars, cheats, moaners and perverts - be warned Citizen Keyne got you sussed. Straight into dustbin lid reality next with common punk for the common people. Having come from a background were money was sparse and people were dragged up 'Way Of Life' touches many of life’s struggles I am more than familiar with. Gritty and grimy and acceptant of how it is! Combine this harshness with a darn fine tune that bounds along and you have once again another CK winner. 'Door To Door' makes me smile everytime I listen to it. The musical tone now is as expected but the lyrical content is so fuckin' down to earth and amusing you know you are dealing with a crew who are just a bunch of regular 'erberts who you can drink away with down the local boozer talking all sorts of bollocks and generally having a good time. The topic here in case you haven't already figured it out regards those pestering salesmen who just want to sell you trash, at an extortionate price so they can get their meagre bonus. 'No' is never an option with these mithering bastards hence Citizen Keyne having to resort to more blatant wordage. Loverly! 'U.S/U.K' slips in with a 'Substitute' style riff after a Rule Britannia jingle and the song is basically about the United Kingdom finally giving a two fingered salute to all that is yank wank and refusing to be the war mongering wankers whore. Real Brit grit that deals no shit! The song is the most steady offering so far and this levelling out is just as well because what follows is really an outstanding piece of punk rock music. There comes a moment when as a reviewer and avid punk rock fan you hear a song and on that one spin alone you are uttering the word 'Classic'. I frown upon this word sometimes as it is misused by all and sundry regarding many a song that is basically throw away crap or routine rock and roll. Here we have an instance where the word should be used and used in emboldened block capitals to emphasise what the fuck it means. 'Stand Proud' is a gargantuan piece of cobblestone spirit that has weight, uplifting energy and an all consuming infection. This is why we are punks, these are the moments when every hair on the nape of ones neck stands up and bristles with the energy of defiance, self belief and fist pumping victory. Every punk in the fuckin' land should buy this CD for this one track alone and remember we are all in this together - stop the petty in-fighting, cut the bullshitting and backstabbing and most importantly be yourself and be fuckin' straight down the middle. No matter how far down the bastards beat ya it is anthemic numbers of this powerful magnitude that get us straight back up and in their faces ready for more. Occasionally we all feel beaten but we will not go away. 'Ungreat Britain' on the first album was a mighty standard to set so early in a bands career - here the standard has been raised several notches higher and got fuckin' nobs on it. CLASSIC! Calming down we move on to 'Political Agenda', a song that has the unenviable task of following the previous behemoth. Shuffling in with a 'Lady Esquire' similarity we are thrown into a more straight forward effort here that has a saturated sound with its constantly pecking insistence and wholesome compactness. Nowt wrong with this effort and it does well to make an impression after you know what! A tribute to the bands ever increasing prowess. We suddenly turn all sinister next with a knife edge bass line held in check by a feedback monotone leash that eventually lets go after several signalling drum beats. A casual stroll that reflects the arrogance of the subject under the spotlight - a 'Serial Killer'. The simple break at 1 minute 53 seconds in is brief and mightily effective and for me should have been expanded and really let the guitar go free and most definitely have the power to cut the song clean in half. A minor gripe really of a song that works well. A good point to make at this point is that several of the tracks here are over 3 and a half minutes, a time length I am more than quick to criticise due to my preference for short, sharp punk rock. This just highlights the grand job CK have done when even the old Fungal Fucker ain't finding fault with this more than usual niggle. Anyway moving on to 'Boyband' and the absolute bilge that the mere mention of this phrase encapsulates. This is a scathing rant against those shallow shitheads who are groomed for the masses and indulge in their own ego and pretentious ways whilst creating piss-poor music for the idle Oi Polloi. Good angry outburst this at the injustice of garbage taking precedence over quality. Strong riffs and rolling drums all help the cause and carry easily into the scuffle and bustle of 'Saturday's Heroes'. A bit of ruck and roll here regarding those football punch-ups that help please the aching fists of so many enthusiastic brawlers. A no frills song this with just a headlong ramrod approach that ends nicely with the bellow 'Fuckin' Have It' and three strum blow out. The last two efforts are as good as anything else so far with 'Life' gritty and slightly hindered by a chorus that doesn't flow as free as it should. Only the second minor blip but worthy of a mention to keep these buggers on their toes. 'Revolution' closes the CD with one of the bands most stylish offerings to date. Really rock based stuff with the now identifiable vocals and CK all embracing sound. Nice solo burst halfway through over the top of the regular guitar riff impresses mightily and this closure may indeed be a sneak preview into the bands next offerings. If so then I better get creating some more praising wordage as I am running out at an incredible rate. There is a secret track on here folks and it is a cover of a song that none of you could even guess at. It has the Citizen Keyne flavour running deep within and is really just a piss about and showing the fun side of the band. It is hit and miss musically as the verse seems to slightly stutter into the chorus but what the fuck anyway? As I say this is just a bit of tomfoolery and for me isn't part of the 12 track album. So in summing up we have a crackin' band producing their second crackin' album and in many ways still struggling to gain credit for their amazing efforts. The scene needs to wake up fast to whats around them and a good way to start is getting a piece of this action. If justice runs true (although it rarely does) I expect big things for Citizen Keyne and praise aplenty to come their way after the quality they are dishing out to the punk populace. Let us wait and see shall we?