Blowgoat - S/T EP

Sadly, Cardiff punks Blowgoat called it a day in November last year. Prior to that, they released a six-track self-titled EP in April 2012. They toured Europe last September/October with fellow UK punks Black Art and they also managed to garner really positive reviews from the likes of Big Cheese  Magazine and Metal Hammer. This is a posthumous review.

Tracklist:-

1. Slackhole
2. Fuck The Bronx
3. Yo Bitch...I'm Tom Waits
4. Rhino
5. The Purge
6. Misery Hammer

Blowgoat reminds me of everything that’s good about Gallows, Cancer Bats and Every Time I Die. They’re loud and they have plenty of swagger. Slackhole is the call to arms on their self-titled EP, as it instantly grabs you by the jugular and forces you to get down! The riffs are a mix of bluesy rock and British punk, while the drums flail behind them. The vocals are screamed out like they’re the last words the vocalist will ever speak. Fuck The Bronx hopefully wasn't Blowgoat calling out The Bronx, as that would've be bad considering both bands occupied the same corner within punk while Blowgoat existed. That said, it’s still a killer song. It’s the kind of punk you’d expect to be seeing in a small, sweaty pub gig and the energy is immense.

Yo Bitch…I’m Tom Waits is a surprise as it harnesses some awesome hardcore-punk riffs at the start, which sound almost blackened in delivery but Blowgoat soon burst back into life. Clean vocals make an appearance and the swagger that they’ve shown up to this point, overflows during the solo. Musically they’re top notch throughout the EP and the bluesy hardcore ending to Yo Bitch… takes things to another level. Punk's always been about fast tempos and heel stomping fun, which Blowgoat delivered in spades, but they could also dish out off-kilter progression, like the guitar work on Rhino. It shows another side to their songwriting.

The further you get into this EP and the more you listen to, the more textures and layers appear. Blowgoat were able to inject their music with plenty of variety and it shows during The Purge.  At times they take a leaf out Boysetsfire’s book, especially during the opening vocals passages of closing track Misery Hammer. I know I’ve dropped a few too many names in this review, but sometimes to good to have reference points and in this case it shows just how good Blowgoat were. They may have called it a day early on in their career, but this EP acts as one hell of a legacy to their music. 

You can't listen to this EP in full anywhere, but Slackhole and Yo Bitch...I'm Tom Waits can be streamed in full at Blowgoat's Bandcamp page, which is still live:-



Blowgoat Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/blowgoat