With striking artwork, North-East England’s Gimp Fist are back for another bout of upbeat punk rock anthems. With each album, they are developing their sound. Although they haven’t strayed too far from their origins, this far bypasses any constraints that might come from labelling them as “oi!” or “streetpunk”. 

At the end of the day this is powerful punk rock, plain and simple. I can hear touches of Boston punk rock – think The Explosion or very early Dropkick Murphys (predating their first album) where you have superb anthems and little flourishes on the guitar here and there, all delivered in speedy fashion. Big woah-oh choruses on You Call This Living are a good representation of the Gimp Fist sound for 2024. 

Given their longevity and stable line-up, you can tell that the three members of the band are incredibly at ease playing and writing together, and so the songs really naturally. Jonny ranks out the riffs and wrestles melodies from his Gordon Smith and throat – Michael pounds the beats and Chris’s hands run up and down the bass fretboard bringing the sound to life. The title of the album couldn’t be more deceiving – get on board this one as everyone’s a winner. Tom Chapman