THE CITY KIDS - ‘SH*T THAT WE LIKE’

Every so often you get a new album which leaves a massive smile on your face. This will do that and so much more.

Another member of the Rockfiend team has already reviewed The City Kids’ cracking upcoming debut album ‘Things That Never Were’ due out on 15 May. Having pre-ordered the limited edition double CD this includes a whole album of covers not available on the main album. Starting life before JJ Watt (ex-Main Grains) and Berty Burton (Tigertailz) formed The City Kids, and featuring an array of friends plucked from bands including Girlschool, Stevie R. Pearce and the Hooligans, the Trench Dogs, Chrome Molly, the Last Great Dreamers, Syteria and Cradle of Filth to name but a few, ‘Sh*t That We Like’ is an unexpected beauty.

Opening with Twisted Sister’s ‘The Kids Are Back’ and closing with ‘Travellin’ Band’ the album has 12 tracks and at the risk of sounding clichéd I’m glad to say that ‘Sh*t That We Like’ is a case of all killer, no filler with no weak tracks on display. The range of artists covered - Motorhead, Twisted Sister, Green Day, The Wildhearts, Cheap Trick, Bruce Springsteen, The Motors, Supersuckers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Therapy? and The League Bowlers – also demonstrates the band’s great and diverse taste in music. As obvious fans of the songs covered, their versions are very much a celebratory and respectful tribute to, and are also close to, the originals, but delivered in The City Kids’ raw, raucous, fun, fast and energetic style.

Rather than provide a track by track review, which would be too detailed as the supporting cast of musicians swap vocals and guitar duties by the song, highlights for me include a suitably raw ‘Killed by Death’ (featuring Jax Chambers and Stevie R. Pearce), an outstanding version of Cheap Trick’s ‘Surrender’ with Marc Valentine of the Last Great Dreamers on lead vocals, a surprisingly good cover of ‘No Surrender’ (praise not given easily by me as a long-term Springsteen fan) and the joyous and raucous ‘Pretty in a Slutty Way’ with the Trench Dogs.

Physical copies of the strictly limited double CD sold out in no time. Having now heard this album and keeping it on repeat, no-one should be surprised why. However, if you want to get your hands on this gem, it’s not too late. Pre-orders of the ‘Things That Never Were’ CD will include an MP3 download of ‘Sh*t That we Like’. Do it now and your Bank Holiday weekend will get so much better.

Track listing:

The Kids Are Back (Twisted Sister)

Killed By Death (Motorhead)

Church on Sunday (Green Day)

You Beat The Hell Outta Me (The Motors)

Mazel Tov Cocktail (The Wildhearts)

Someday I Will Kill You (Supersuckers)

Pretty in a Slutty Way (The League Bowlers)

Surrender (Cheap Trick)

Die Laughing (Therapy?)

No Surrender (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band)

The Chase Is Better Than The Catch (Motorhead)

Travellin’ Band (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

GMcA