Riskee & The Ridicule + Thee Acid Tongue + Headstone Horrors

Dear Listener, were in charge; not you. Riskee & the Ridicule smash through the speakers on their latest offering, Blame Culture, to tell us in no uncertain terms that they have something to say and were going to effing listen. This is the Kent quartets newest release, following up their 2014 critically-acclaimed debut, Dawn Of The Dog.
An awful lot has changed since the bands first album and these guys arent afraid to tell you quite how aware of this they are. They dont care if their ferocity intimidates you; as Riskee tells us on Molotov Cocktails, I never got into this game to be liked for my words.
While the UK continued to reel from the result of the EU referendum, the band had already acted on it, with Blame Culture ready for release on 6th January. The bands understanding of the wider cultural, ideological and political challenges ahead led them to share Colours, the spoken word piece nestled between tracks 10 and 11, on the day of the Womens March, following Trumps inauguration. Riskee & the Ridicule know that now is the time to stand up and fight the numerous poisons breeding in Western society.
Awareness of the current socio-political landscape aside, Blame Culture is crammed with grime-punk bangers that cant fail to make Dear Listener jump up and dance. Riskee (Scott Picking) has a determined sharpness of tone, cynical and sarcastic, akin to Scroobius Pip. On Banger hes not worried about whether future challenges will be overcome, We wont make do with what weve got cos what we aint got we will get. No sweat.
Blame Cultures upbeat punk, and at times even venturing into indie-disco, mix should eliminate the bands concerns on Drown about whether they are commercially relevant. This album moves genres forward and even generates fresh ones, soldering sharp-tongued quips on to a well-oiled rhythm and guitar section (Jimbo Aglony, guitar, David Thomas, bass and Matt Verrell, drums). Theres just a hint of teenage angst about Blame Culture, and something almost pointing towards the 10 Things I Hate About You era. Neither of these are bad things, this is angst for grown-ups. Lets face it; thats pretty much where were all at right now.
Theres no filler on this album, with tracks like Running on Air and Hipster carrying instant anthems. Riskee & the Ridicule also arent afraid to move into slightly darker soundscapes with Backwords and Daddys Boots, pushing more of the lyrical content, favouring wordplay and dense wordscapes, instead of trying to have you sing along. These guys are feeling positive about their future, despite the current outlook, and theyre inviting the world to join them as they tell us on Party, If life throws you a curve ball then make it a learning curve.
As the results of the US election were announced, some of us joked about battening down the hatches and sitting the next four years out. After all, by then the effects of Brexit would be laid out for all to see. Others saw the fear and devastation of those whose rights are jeopardised, and reminded us how lucky we are. The wisest warned us that the only way out of this mess is to stop assuming sense prevails and called us to action. Thank goodness Riskee & the Ridicule are here to lead the way. After all, as they demand on Nobody Likes Us, You dont tell us when were finished/We tell you lot when were finished.