UNIT’S IN DA HOUSE
Spencer Rose, Warrior of Metal. Y’nah ‘a mean? June 2005
Occasionally an album lands on the desk in my office that changes everything…
An album that substantiates my standing in this inexplicable universe - a soundtrack to the ups, the downs, the… er… middles? Songs that make you laugh, make you mosh, make you gurn. Songs that even make you weep with unbridled, euphoric joy.
Sadly, there’s not really enough room for a desk in my office/bedroom, and Toploader haven’t released an album for a couple of years now, but I have just been handed (yeah thanks) the debut long-player by Northampton’s don’ttakeourselvestooseriouslybutthemusickicksarsemetalwarriors, PIG UNIT. It’s called ‘Unified’, and it’s a bit special.
The guilty parties are:
Benny “The Voice” Toledo – Lead Vocals;
Boabus – Bass;
Fist Of Legend – Drums;
Floyd L Scaramanga – Guitars/Vocals;
Man Wid Mission – Percussion;
Professor Bustyaleep – Lead Vocals;
Stedman Cool – Guitars.
The artwork on the CD (executed by The Hand @ www.gadsby.demon.co.uk) is sublime, but can the music live up to the drama of the Transformers-style, robot-primate being encircled by helicopters depicted on the front cover? Well…?
Different Ways of Saying "Aye"
How many different ways are there of saying ‘aye’? From the opening wah-wah funk-rock riff of Unit’s In Da House, with its shout-along chorus, you’re in for fifty minutes of pure rock bliss - think Faith No More/Tenacious D, if they’d come from a proper town like Northampton, (which incidentally is a constant source of reference throughout their music). It’s really difficult to describe just how good this album is in such a short space. It’s obviously been lovingly crafted with impeccable attention to detail. The songs all stand out individually, with fantastic raps, riffs, harmonising and themes you’ve always wanted to hear put down on record. Just check Northampton Rocks or Beaver’s Mountain -civic pride has never felt so good, or so metal.
Ugly Behind
The CD was also accompanied by a flyer advertising ‘Twinfest 2005’, the town’s biggest free music festival, at which the ‘Unit were playing an evening slot on the Saturday night in The Racehorse garden. The Northampton/Marburg musical venture has been a real cultural, artistic spectacle for the last two or three years and at around 7pm, I sat on a wall with St Michael’s car park looming, ugly behind me. The clouds were gathering above, the sky was foreboding, and a washout was looking like a possibility. Then the intro music began (something dodgy by Ozzy), the heavens brightened and the scene was set…
The band drop-kicked proceedings into action with a booty-beating rendition of Ape Shit, and there was a shift forward towards the stage from the partially inebriated punters. The timing was just right, with most of the audience not so spangled that they wouldn’t remember the gig, but squiffy enough to want the party atmosphere to begin.
It most certainly did. The band ripped it up. They were parading new drummer, Gumtree ‘From The Country’ van Drumtree, who provided a real fluidity to the rhythm section, (oh and some quality drum-faces to boot), along with Boabus’ hair-swinging, funk-driven bass lines. Floyd I and Stedman’s twin-guitar assault, was like watching two chainsaw maestros, bound wrist to wrist in combat, standing on a plank of worn wood, precariously balanced over a pool of quicksand. New lead-singer Rocky ‘Rock’ Rockwell’s performance was both energetic and powerful, and rapper Prof. Bustyaleep’s authentic Canadian/NN1 drawl, came across as authoritatively as one of Jose Maurinho’s half-time team talks, as he prowled the stage.
Ironic Facial Masturbation
While radioactive, orange cider was quaffed from the Notorious B.E.Z.’s alfresco bar, and munchies chomped from Burgermeister, Mike Hogan’s tantalisingly, frikadellan-fumed Bavarian barbecue, (for the first time, Subway felt the pinch), Pig Unit powered through a punchy, frenetic forty-five minutes of quality music. The between-song banter was hilarious and the crowd interaction was something to behold, with Rocky handing his mic to a member of the audience for a bit of free-styling that made Big Brother’s ‘Science’ seem like he’s got skills. Y’get me?
They may be a local band, but they’re certainly not just for local people. The website is well worth checking out – it’s interactive and everything, (you can even download the album, play games and stuff). Just go to
www.pigunit.co.uk. What else you got to do at school or work? They will also be playing at The Rockinghorse on July 15th, along with Chimpanman, Orwell Music and Sheep Thieves.
If I don’t see you there, you’d better have a pretty good excuse.
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