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The Bar Stool Preachers

Above The Static

Written by: PP on 10/09/2023 15:10:50

What do you get if you combine The Streets, Frank Turner, and maybe Frank Carter and put them all together into a UK punk rock band? Probably something quite akin to The Bar Stool Preachers on their third album "Above The Static". It's an extremely varied record that takes you from upbeat pop punk through ska punk and all the way to hardcore and rowdy acoustic guitar-backed folk rock in the space of a single album.

Take the opener "Call Me On The Way Home", for instance. You'd be forgiven for thinking this is gonna be a pop punk album given its radio-friendly, upbeat, and sugarcoated sound. The style shifts immediately after though on "Flatlined", which takes a Trophy Eyes-style choral melody alongside punk rock verses, resulting in an infectiously catchy track that feels rowdy like a punk rock song in the process. The lovely British accent in the vocals only makes it better. And "All Turned Blue" is like a contemporary rock song that you could play to your parents or on the radio, for that matter.

"Doorstep", on the other hand, is heavy on rock'n'roll and distortion, sounding a little bit like Danko Jones before one of the best choruses on the album landing home a sing-along banger. Then you have the rapped verses and choruses of "Never Gonna Happen", a scathing political commentary that focuses on the lies of the likes of Daily Mail, etc. Its dark segment about "It's the immigrants, scream the expats, from some sunny beach in Spain" hits the nail on the head and is exemplary of how clever The Bar Stool Preachers can be lyrically.

"Laptop" is like Frank Turner in the good old days. It's a rowdy, acoustic-guitar-backed banger, fun and full of urgency throughout. Later on, "Two Dog Night" takes you knee-deep into the world of hardcore, here drawing parallels to Frank Carter's various projects, while "Don't Die Today" is pure ska punk through and through.

As you can tell, "Above The Static" isn't short on variety alright. It's full of surprises and various genre-infusions, while still retaining somewhat of a red thread in the process. This is typical of other UK bands like Sonic Boom Six and Skindred, who each have capitalized on the urban multiculturalism of mega-cities like London. In that sense, The Bar Stool Preachers are on a similar path with "Above The Static".

Download: Doorstep, Never Gonna Happen, Laptop, Flatlined, Call Me On The Way Home
For the fans of: Frank Turner, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Streets, Grade 2, Faintest Idea, The Filaments
Listen: Facebook

Release date 31.03.2023
Pure Noise Records