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ARTHRITIC FOOT SOLDIERS 'only beer can save us now',

Punkoiuk

Lancashires’ oldest kids on the block are back again with a new c.d. this time a 9 track affair with 4 live tracks and 5 new studio gems. I’m sure it’s only been a couple of months since they’re last outing so the lads must have been pretty busy and considering Carl the guitarist is in 2 other bands as well this is all the more impressive, don’t you have a telly!!!! Anyway the band charge through the title track, then into ‘No Hope’- a song dedicated to a friend who decided to become a smackhead!, ‘Anorexic Princess of Pop’- one of my favourites from the last c.d. and ‘Anarchy In Argos’ another great song about how lame the punk scene can be. Then we come to the new stuff first up ‘Nobodies’ catchy as a catchy thing but very short. Next is ‘Massacre of the Innocent’ an anti war anthem, ‘Don’t Fit’ is another short very catchy song closely followed by ‘Architecture of Life’ which slows things down but is still under a minute and half long. Last track is ‘Justice For None’ which has a pop the farce which was the Michael Jackson trial-well said lads. There’s a hidden track on here but i’m not gonna tell you what it is but most of you will have heard it before but not done like it is on here. A.F.S. have a great knack of writing short witty catchy songs and it’s a shame there isn’t more bands like this around at the moment, when you find out there all pushing 40 makes you realise the kids have got some catching up to do.

5 out of 5
Paul
METAL HAMMER

Old School punk, it's gritty and hardnosed and bites sharper and faster than a pit bull with rabies. For fans of: Sex Pistols, GBH, Rancid
Issue 84

Well the band name and album title must surely be enough to tell you that we are now in punk rock comedy territory, but don't dismiss AFS too lightly. Only Beer Can Save Us Now is a brief affair (only four live tracks and five studio jobs) but they're enough to reveal a band with intelligence lurking beneath the humour and no mean musical skills. Oh and if you can be bothered to wait around four minutes at the end, theres a 'hidden track' 'Buffalo Soldier' Boy do i hate it when bands do that.

3 stars
Shaun Baldwin
BORN TO DIE

Arthritic Foot Soldiers - that is AFS - this Punk Rock formation dabble in old school Punk Rock. The disc of "Only Beer Can Save Us Now!" is the collection of concert and studio tracks. Despite, that I am not punker and I never was then in my life I met some Punk Rock bands, so from the beginning of the listening I associated the band with THE SEX PISTOLS and THE EXPLOITED (but probably therefore, that these are almost only foreign Punk Rock bands which I know hahaha…) as well as with Hardcore band - LAWNMOWER DETH. Generally saying, AFS plays energetic, full the quarrelsomeness, irony and imaginativeness Punk Rock which arrangements are characterize the simple riffs joint with the dynamic melody, typical for old school playing. The music groundwork are create by the speedy guitar riffs and the rhythmical section with the shouting tunefully vocal as well as the backing singers. The climate of the tracks is very degage and even outright funny. The whole is dynamic and melodious... and enjoyable…
DISTORTED (ZINE)

Turn this up loud, grab a drink and get ready to sing along because "Only Beer Can Save Us Now!" One has got to appreciate the straight up punk rock formula, you don't need to sing like an angel, you just need a few riffs, the punk attitude and you're set. AFS keep it simple and raw on this release. The first 4 songs are live versions with the remaining 5 songs are studio recorded numbers, 'Don't Fit' has a very infections chorus line that will have you rocking out with your beer raised above your head. Make sure you catch these guys at a pub near you. Perfect music to drink to.
SKRATCH

Three chords, a brew, and the truth seems to be the mantra for this UK outfit whose alcohol-fueled punk rock wares are abundant on this half-live, half-studio nine track affair. Showcasing an authentic punk rock scowl and bratty sneer and stocked with pint-raising numbers like “Nobodies” and “Anarchy in Argos”, this hardened outfit’s mission statement and delivery are dead-on for anyone that likes their punk rock raw, simple, and above all, honest. www.voltagerecords.com

Mike SOS 5 out of 5
ANARCHOI

A truly cute and wonderful release here, contains live and studio stuff in the same kinda streetpunk vein as always, ive been a fan since i first heard em

JAZ
NO FRONT TEETH

A compilation of live and studio tracks. I’m really hard to convince about live recordings because I’ve heard so many that just blow, but I gotta say that the live tracks on here are the show-stealers of the CD…I really fuckin like the ‘liveness’ of this, it just works. The recording has balls and energy and fucking presence. If yer not familiar with the A.F.S. (Arthritic Foot Soldiers) sound, they mix antagonism, humor and politics with a hefty dose of old-school skate. A blend of English and American heavy punk rock. This is a cool follow up to ‘Tales Of A Drunken Generation’ and I’m just so impressed with the live stuff...cool cover art again too and further evidence that kids don’t know shit….older punk rockers are all about it.

Marco
BACKLASH

Their name is Arthritic Foot Soldiers. They have an album called Tales Of A Drunken Generation and a new EP entitled Only Beer Can Save Us Now. They have songs with titles like Anarchy In Argos, Massacre Of The Innocent and Guns For Oil. On their MySpace site they proclaim that “everyone who says punk is dead is a cunt.” So it’s pretty clear where these guys are coming from (and going to) – that you’re going to get straight-down-the line, “don’t fuck with me” old skool punk that mixes its politics and its alcohol (the problem and the solution, perhaps?). What all that doesn’t prepare you for, however, is quite how good their songs actually are. These rambunctious, short, direct, noisy blasts of sound hark back to an era when punk in England actually seemed like it could make a difference. Listening to this EP, it almost feels like it could again. Four live songs, five studio tracks and a superb hidden surprise makes Only Beer Can Save Us Now well worth picking up if punk is your thing. And if anyone tries to tell you that punk is dead, slap this around their face and call them – well, you know what to call them.

Mischa Pearlman
POSITIVE CREED

The "alcoholic" theme is there in the title once again. AFS have something that sets them apart from the rest. This half live/studio outing kicks off a newie "Only Beer Can Save Us Now" . The first of four live offerings, AFS show us that they can indeed cut is live. Things however start getting really interesting with the arrival of the studio songs. These five short dashes of twisted English skate-core are equal of most songs off of the "Drunken Generation" Album. "Nobodies" is scathing and hits it's intended target. "Justice For None" speaks of financial corruption and "The Architecture Of Life" puts one in the mind of The Angelic Upstarts. Plus, just when you think that it is all over, there is a little suprise!

S.C.S
CHORLEY GUARDIAN

A celebrated Chorley punk rock band are returning with a nine track EP, giving a flavour of what there live sound is all about, most of the songs are a heady mixture about Bush and Blair, suicide bombers and drinking beer.

Malcolm Wyatt
BURNOUT

This latest offering from the Lancashire punks feature 5 new studio tracks and 4 recorded live at the Snooty Fox, Wakefield (plus a bonus track which I could tell you about but I think you should go & buy it instead) The Arthritic Foot Soldiers prove once again to be the kings of brevity with songs that rarely reach 90 seconds mark yet say more than most bands back catalogue. The new songs are as catchy as on "Tales of a Drunken Generation" and continue to take a wry, humorous look at life and the live tracks sound pretty good too, If fast paced classic punk is your bag add this to your collection

Kerry
MIDDLE AGE SHRED

....the album capture's the energy well, if you get chance to see afs live -GO you'll be sticking your fingers up at society for month's after.... oooo hidden track ...nice one ...Only beer can save us now.... how true, I am rocking it right now!!!....Buffalo Soldier kills!!!!!!!!! ...."dont fit, dont fit, dont give a shit" ... luv it, its been stuck in my head for the last two days. ...Dunno if the songs are in chronological order but they seem to get better as they go along ... ten songs and only one im not to keen on, cant be bad ... honest punk rock, 'nuff said. .....great stuff....proper music to fight to, Hidden track was good, hate the original but this one is a real cracker. .....My favourite punk bands from the 70’s were irreverent, spontaneous, unpolished and very loud. Later however most of these bands either disappeared, or, as their musicianship increased and their songs became more sophisticated they lost the spark that makes Punk so exciting. AFS have started at the other end of the spectrum. Most/all being accomplished musicians they seemed to have dispensed with the need for extra cords, unnecessary overdubs, post production and balanced harmonies and picked up instead on the sheer buzz of thrashing out and poking fun. You know what you’re going to get with a title such as ‘Only Beer Can Save us Now’. It sort of does what it says on the Tin. The title track itself and ‘Nobodies’ shouts out to be drunkenly sung along with (beer spillingly good). ‘No Hope’ and ‘Anorexic Princess of Pop’ seem to come from two extremes. The first from what could be a slight social conscience and anger at the misuse of drugs and the latter poking fun at an eating disorder (albeit self inflicted) The LP is plastered with swearing (as all punk is) although it probably doesn’t incite the shock it did in ‘76. My opinion is that sometimes you just can’t get your point across without using the odd swear word and anyone that disagrees can just FUCK OFF. Next time your watching a really good Skate video try turning the volume down on the Sad psuedo punk boy band shit they play a nd instead put ‘Don’t Fit’ on at full tilt (bazzin !!!). The hidden track had me in stitches .A mix of buffalo solider and the Banana Splits , it’s one of my favourites. If you don’t like any of the tracks they have been cleverly designed to be very short and there’s not a long wait until the next one. My only criticism would be that the live tracks seem to be have been played to an audience of 2 people and I think a little bit more commitment from the crowd would have sounded better even if it was just the faint sound of spitting. The cover artwork and printing are spectacular .I actually made me miss the old Vinyl LP Album covers even more (Ahhh!!… Gatefold !!!). And what better way to smooth away those tired wrinkles and crows feet….paint the band in cartoon !!! Priceless !!!. Cutting all the crap..Did I like it ??…too Fucking right I did !!!..it will now be my media of choice whilst under the Affluence of Inchohol !!..BEWARE……AFS are ready to take over the World…….. However the Revolution may have to wait till Closing time.

Sam
FUNGALPUNK

And YET MORE punk rock quality from the prolific musical minds of AFS. This 9 track offering is a quintessential piece of seemingly spontaneous quality and blends a pleasing mixture of live and studio performances. The first 4 tracks are indeed live and reflect the bands ability in the flesh. The talent is simply blatant and yet stripped so close to the bone so as to make it as raw as a freshly peeled testicle. This is a classic reflection of the band on stage and anyone with an inkling of nouse should be pricked into checking this lot out. The studio recordings are as expected, brilliant. Again the no nonsense approach is adopted with accomplished ease as each track is skilfully delivered. 'Architecture of Life', 'Nobodies' and the hidden bastardised version of 'Buffalo Soldier' are personal faves but in brutal honesty there isn't one lame duck amongst this flock of pristeen swans. Once again AFS come up trumps with an album that exhibits what a fuckin' good band this lot are. Each and every track of this mini-album is swift and to the point and doesn't waste fuckin' around with unnecessary glamorous riffs and pretentious solo's. This is a must purchase for punk purists and hopefully will go someway to confirming the punk rock hound is still bursting with life! Give this bitch a bone!

OMD - he may be a piss head but he knows what's punk
PUNK4LIFE

'Only Beer Can Save Us Now' by Lancashire based skateboard punks AFS (Arthritic Foot Soldiers) is another offering by this band who are a favourite of mine. There are 9 tracks of which 4 are live and 5 are studio versions. There is also a hidden track 'Buffalo Soldier' after the last track on the CD. The 4 live tracks are 'Only Beer Can Save Us Now' and 'No Hope' (new songs) and 'Anorexic Princess Of Pop' and 'Anarchy In Argos' (From 'Tales Of A Drunken Generation' Album.) The live stuff is great and shows what a good live band they are. The studio tracks are 'Nobodies', 'Massacre Of The Innocent','Don't Fit', 'Justice For None' and for me the best track off the CD 'Architecture Of Life'. I thought this was a great CD with AFS's usual catchy songs. They are getting quite prolific with good new songs appearing regularly. Keep it up guys.

TIM DAVIS
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