Neil Crud on Louder Than War Radio #201

Tonight’s my 201st show on Louder Than War Radio. We open with the Manics taking a swing at Working Class Hero — 45 years since Lennon checked out, and somehow the song still lands like a cracked bell in a cold room. 

From there it’s straight to Bangor, where Skinflick remind us that all your heroes are, in fact, bastards. Fair point. Pig Sweat stomp in from Bern with that early self-titled clatter — five years on and still gleefully ruining the furniture.

Two Tonne Machete drop their new single and it hits like a pneumatic drill to the shin. Then The Fucking Angry kick the door in with Unterwegs — Wyn left this CD at mine last month and it has been eyeballing me from the shelf ever since. Consider it played.

Then things get… questionable. Piss offer up Time Loop At Hot Slit — discovered by Dave Rabo de Taylor while browsing totally innocent corners of the internet (allegedly). Followed, obviously, by Pisse — because once you’re down this drainage system, commitment is key. Duracell. Full charge.

MDK roar in live with One Of These Days I’m Just Gonna Fucking Explode — Leicester ska-shrapnel punk with a twitching fuse. Dam-Nations put it out and it sounds like three blokes doing their absolute best not to combust.

And speaking of combusting, MDC show up spitting Born To Die (No Trump No KKK) — gentle as a derailed train. Value Of Nothing cool the air a bit with Crescent Road, still carrying that Grapes Of Wrath 3am-argument-with-a-lamppost energy.

Warchrist ignite Fascist State — fresh from Rich Phillips dropping it in my inbox like a lit match. Warcrime follow with a Rudimentary Peni cover because why not throw more petrol on this thing.

Faintest Idea bring Lords Of War — Norwich is still vibrating from their sold-out show last week. The Dry Retch stumble in with Big Time Bum, then Toilet Snake slither up from the sewers with the title track of their 10” sludge-bath. Teschio Dischi once again enabling my worst decisions.

DISTRESS crash in from Russia with Демократия and Noize MC bring the fury, the exile, the bravery — Swan Lake weaponised as dissent. Ballet as a threat signal. Only in modern Russia.

Long Knife rip through Blue Rose, Wonk Unit deliver Awful Jeans with their usual chaotic charm, and Citric Dummies yelp My Life’s a Total Sham — along with a bandcamp rant about debt, merch scarcity, and Fred from the post office who apparently lives to waste their time.

The Unknowns keep the Drunken Sailor thread burning with Psychotic — plus they’ve made a 2025 sampler that basically is this show distilled. Shitbrains then offer No Mercy, which seems appropriate.

We close with MORBIKON’s Heavens That Burn And Eons Divided — astral crypts, cosmic dread, and liquid-filled vinyl you can’t get outside the US because postage is feral.

Playlist

Manic Street Preachers – Working Class Hero
Skinflick – All Your Heroes Are Bastards
Pig Sweat – Plastic Faces
Two Tonne Machete – Pigs Pigs
The Fucking Angry – Unterwegs
Piss – Time Loop At Hot Slit
Pisse – Duracell
MDK – One Of These Days I’m Just Gonna Fucking Explode (Live)
MDC – Born To Die (No Trump No KKK)
Value Of Nothing – Crescent Road
Warchrist – Fascist State
Warcrime – When You Are a Martian Church
Faintest Idea – Lords Of War
The Dry Retch – Big Time Bum
Toilet Snake – Back From The Sewers
DISTRESS – Демократия (Democracy-)
Noize MC – Лебединое озеро (Studio Version 2023)
Long Knife – Blue Rose
Wonk Unit – Awful Jeans
Citric Dummies – My Life’s A Total Sham
The Unknowns – Psychotic
Shitbrains – No Mercy
Morbikon – Heavens That Burn And Eons Divided

Neil Crud on Louder Than War Radio #200

Two hundred shows.

Two hundred Monday nights shouting at the void, feeding it noise, and the void occasionally shouting back.

Two hundred reasons to thank the ghosts, the gremlins, the listeners, the contributors (like Garry), the bands, the label miscreants, the fanzine scribblers, and Wyn — especially Wyn — patron saint of emergency cover slots.

No throat-clearing tonight.

We go straight in.

Rat Cage – “Emotional Blackmail” came crashing in first — a Sheffield-via-Skopje blast, resurrecting the UK Subs classic and hotly tied to that fresh issue of Raising Hell fanzine that still smells of ink, glue and one staple (Ben you tight barstard!). You can practically hear the interview bleeding through the guitar tone.

And because one UK Subs thread deserves another, I followed it immediately with UK Subs – “Kill Me,” pulled from Reverse Engineering, before letting the whole thing mutate into Finland’s finest D-beat barrage: Kürøishi – “Warhead! Warhead!” off Egocide of the Warmad. Feels like someone opened a window and a blizzard came through it.

From there the trail ran straight into surreal brilliance — Spaghelli – “Dead Man’s Sock.” Mentioned in Raising Hell, clicked the link, fell into an entire subuniverse of art, noise, and travel stories from a person who's been to roughly 90 countries.

The fanzine theme kept rolling with Diaz Brothers – “This Is My Oppressor.” Interviewed in RH #33 and carrying the weight of HDQ lineage, forming anew after the tragic loss of Dickie. Their album The World Is Yours is still on my “fix this, idiot” list.

Then: a Wyn leftover.

Chepa – “3 Jours Et 15 Heures,” rescued from the pile of CDs he abandoned here after covering my show. I copied the lot — fair’s fair.

From there things took a hard left: Hayden Hughes – “I Want You To Peg Me.” Released three years ago to the day. A classic of its kind. A kind that probably shouldn’t have a “classic” category but here we are.

Without Love – “Soul Purpose.” Played last week. Too good not to play again.

Then Decibel – “Object,” fresh from Bones, followed by a curious title-collision with Possible Damage – “Object” from their 2022 demo. Two different planets using the same language.

Dead Pollys – “Yes Sir,” from Better Off Alive, marched in next, before the mighty Wiccans – “Barbarian Queen.” Drunken Sailor Recs unwrapping something that feels almost like Black Flag with a migraine.

Liverpool haunted the next corner with Zombina & The Skeletones – “Phantom With The X-Ray Mind.”

Then straight to the political jugular:

Rites of Hadda – “Killer Profits (Tokitae)” from Inevitable Machete on Grow Your Own.

And then Two Tonne Machete – “Pigs Pigs,” an anthem about the criminalisation of dissent — the kind of track that rattles the windows of parliament if you play it loud enough.

We flew to Devon next (sort of) with Wags To Wytches – “Rage Bait,” from their second EP, complete with black “vinyl-style” CDs.

Then The Human Error – “Flags Of The World,” off their new record Ghost Army Deception, CD and download ready, red vinyl on the horizon like a warning flare.

Leicester barged in with Gout – “Just Watching (Live).” Two brothers, twenty years, one two-piece hardcore entity punching holes in the evening.

Then:

The Unknowns – “All Grown Up,” back with a second pressing of Looking From The Outside after the first sold out in a blink.

Back to Wales next — we always come home eventually — with Bad Sam – “Pedigree Poor,” off their new LP Trauma. A lyrical lashing at the wealthy feeding their pets gourmet nonsense while the poor queue for tins. Dean Beddis and Richard Glover do not do subtle.

And closing the 200th show with a wry grin because it’s too true to ignore:

The Puncturists – “They Don’t Pay Support Bands.”

Taken from I’m Not Alright.

And yes, they don’t.

And yes, it’s a banger anyway.

Two hundred shows.

See you for 201.

Or 300.

Or until this tinnitus finally kills me.

Whichever comes first.