Wooden Spoon nUMBER

tHE bATTERY fARM

Single Review

Written by Luke Knowles

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘The gloves are off’. Well, on releasing the second single from forthcoming debut album, Flies, Manchester’s rising Gutter pUnks The Battery Farm have not only took the gloves off, but made sure to swap it for barbed wire with an edging of glass. Chanelling the frustration and anger felt by those in the quagmire of the current financial crisis, the band have released a song that bares its bloody teeth at the ones at the top.  Industrial, unapologetic, and visceral ‘Wooden Spoon Number’ not only shows off the bands punky edge but also highlights the range in which their creativity can go.

While previous releases such as ‘Excellent Public Speaker’ and A Working Class Lad’ carried an emphasis on gritty and sludge guitar work, ‘Wooden Spoon Number’ leans on a more Industrial Punk element with the drums and bass carrying the song. Thrown into the mix is a neat synth that sort of puts the song on edge with is dischored nature. This marries perfectly with the songs message of being pushed to your limits and being forced to contemplate ever increasingly violent ways of solving problems. It is almost like you are lifted and placed behind the eyes of a broken working class person, desperate to survive. You can almost envision the mirror cracking before them as the song moves deeper and deeper into the bottled frustration.

This construction of the song is then mirrored in the vocal line that begins quite calm but with an edge and then slowly dissolves into a more frantic style and even adds a lovely touch with a deranged laugh towards the end of the track. All the while the music snaps and crashes around it, really shaking you as you listen. I must point out though, that it is a controlled and well thought out kind of chaos that builds as the song goes on, each element comes in well timed and feels natural. Then, once all these pieces are in place the final blast as the guitars kick in gives you the sense of no return, the unleashing of all that pent up aggression and frustration. Following that the song seems to snap back to a sort of reality with am ore controlled vocal and composition. The rage dream is over, but the anger is not forgotten.

Overall, if you are a big fan of your Alternative Punk Metal bands of the 70’s and 80’s you will enjoy the soundscape created on this track. Also, in the same way if you’re a fan of more contemporary Northen Punk/Industrial Grunge then you’ll find your next favourite obsession with this band. As stated above, The Batter Farm wanted to highlight their upcoming albums difference in sound and experimentation with their own musical direction. For me personally, I think they have succeeded in peaking my curiosity to hear the remaining release when it drops this November. So raise your Wooden Spoon and lets show these gutter punks some love.

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