Sound of Our Revolution | August 2024: Friends and Faves

Contributed by Jonny Collins

Month on month for years at this point, I’ve been compiling music playlists based around particularly relevant topical or cultural issues. This has been a great way for me to both discover new and exciting music that I may not have otherwise, as well as provide an outlet to the malcontent political frustrations I was dealing with at the time. Music is an outlet quite unlike any other. At its best it is a tool to fully immerse yourself in, to give yourself a voice when you’re struggling to vocalise your own in a way that makes sense, and to make you feel less alone in your struggles. This is why people often say that a particular band or artist has saved their life.

Music can ground you in a way unlike any other art, at least in my experience. I have loved it since I was a teenager. While my tastes have expanded and shifted, the role music plays in my life has remained just as strong if not stronger.

So in the runup to our little break, I thought the last one of these we do for a while shouldn’t be limited by a particular theme or feeling. Just this once, I want an excuse to just shout out some of my favourite new artists I’ve gotten to meet and work with or discover throughout the last 5 years of Blizzard Comedy.

There will be a vague link of leftist vibes and talking points, as that is the majority of music I like, but otherwise pretty much anything goes. These are artists that at least one of us at Blizzard know, or have worked with, interviewed, or are just generally massive fans of and want to shout out and share with all of you.

This was a hard list to narrow down, so as it’s our last one this will be a double length one as well. So, prepare for 2 hours of (mostly) independent underground smaller artists singing about leftist revolutions, mental health, solidarity, anti-capitalism, queer liberation, and everything in-between.

Some will have already cropped up in other playlists, others I hadn’t found space for before, but all of them are well worth your time, and I hope you enjoy them!

You can listen to the playlist here:

And if you want to learn more about these coolest of cats and why I love them so much, read on:

1: Desperate Measures – The Human Project

Clarion Call – 2018 – Melodic Hardcore
https://thehumanproject.bandcamp.com/album/clarion-call

“Call me snowflake,
And expect the avalanche”

Look this is just our theme song. From the moment I heard that line, I knew what Blizzard Comedy was. To get their blessing a couple years later to use the song as the credits music on our YouTube was an absolute delight.

The band aren’t together anymore, and I was lucky enough to see their last ever gig at MPF 2023. It was a very bittersweet moment. I first saw them at the festival in 2019 and they were one of the bands that made me fall in love with the whole vibe, so it was a perfect send off.

Clarion Call is a terrific album, but this opening track in particular is a superb mission statement for the record and indeed the band as a whole and aligns perfectly with ours own here at Blizzard.

2: Tyrant – Sworn Amongst

Tyrant – 2024 – Groove Metal

“This is the cost of your lies
Horror mobilised
In wave after wave in the thousands
A modern day genocide”

A friend of a friend who I’ve met a couple of times is the bassist of this band – so a tenuous connection and honestly not a band I’d though much about for a while. But their newest single goes fucking HARD.

Tyrant is groove central, really putting the “Metal” into Metalcore in a way that satisfies the tropes without sacrificing the heaviness.

Lyrically, it’s a statement of solidarity for Ukraine against the oppressive invasion of Putin’s Russia – but equally can apply to the Israeli occupation of Gaza, or indeed any situation where a tyrannical leader is oppressing its people and others. This is the kind of track that inspires you to mobilize and overthrow your oppressors, and that is very much a vibe we dig here.

3: Fuck This – Follow Your Dreams

The Half Life of Teaspoons – 2020 – Mathcore
https://tnsrecords.bandcampcom/album/the-half-life-of-teaspoons

My connection to this band is I think one of the members commented in my MPF 2024 playlist once, so that means we’re besties now.

In all seriousness, I’m not claiming to have any connection to this band, but they are one of my biggest regrets to miss at this year’s MPF ‘cause I was just too knackered by the time that they were on. But they are phenomenal, and this song in particular is just so full of cathartic profanities at basically everything that makes me mad politically. I think this is a great Blizzard mantra and fits really nicely on this list.

Also, they have really infectious and technical melodies and are just a very sonically pleasing band to listen to work, all of which is managed without losing their core and accessible punk edge. Well worth your time.

4: Gandhi Mate Gandhi – Enter Shikari

A Flash Flood of Colour – 2012 – Electronicore

“Who you fooling son, we’ve got all the tools
We need to build a whole new system
To correct these flaws”

Enter Shikari followed me on Twitter when I still used it when I tagged them in a post about 2000 Trees the year I was on the comedy stage. It was a very cute gesture on whoever was managing their social media at the time, but has given me just enough of an in to justify putting my favourite band of all time on this playlist.

Sonically blending hard electro rave music with metalcore elements, they scratch so many of my musical itches and do it better than just about anyone else working today. Couple that with supremely socially conscious lyrics that are unapologetic in their politics and ethos, that, as I’ve said before, may be responsible for radicalizing me when I was a teenager, so ultimately, they may be at fault for our very existence. Blame them.

5: Death to the Landlord – Meryl Streek

796 – 2022 – Post-Punk
https://merylstreek.bandcamp.com/album/796

“And this song goes out to any two-faced prick politician making money off a mother and
Two kids for a bedsit.”

Another tenuous Link – Blizzard regular and favourite John Porter got to interview Meryl Streek a few months back (and it’s a great interview – you can read it here).

Seeing Meryl Streek at MPF this year was an almost spiritual experience with the atmosphere. The music, the smoke machine, the enthralled crowd – Meryl Streek going off stage to almost preach his inspired and punk poet lyrics, it honestly changed me. Death to the Landlord is always the one I come back to most – but the singles for his new album are phenomenal too and I’m so excited for the full album.

6: Vigilant – Yanna A

Vigilant – 2022 – Indie Rock
https://yannaavlianos.bandcamp.com/album/vigilant

Okay this is someone I actually know now yay! I’ve been a fan of Yanna’s work for a while now, and still have 3 of her albums/EPs in physical form. I fucking adore her low-fi, ethereal, and grungy style that sounds both minimal but also jam packed full of ambience and feeling.

Vigilant was recorded in 2022 – and relates to how on edge and “vigilant” you have to be at all times as a woman in a public space. In the wake of the Sarah Everard murder, this feeling was very close to the surface, and I think a lot of people who previously downplayed this fact were confronted with it head on.

Yanna captures this mood both in her despairing lyrics as well as the sonic soundscape, starting soft and mournful, gradually getting more chaotic and overwhelming as the song crashes and breaks into electronic and intense bass section. This really replicates the feeling of just being aware of how vast and scary the outside world and dangers that inhabit it is. It kind of replicates a panic attack in the soundscape – but also in a way that is weirdly comforting and safe?

It’s hard to nail down, but conveying complicated emotions in a way that feels safe and friendly and comforting is one of the things that really sets Yanna apart as a composer and songwriter, and this is a terrific example of that.

7: Love King Wine – King Wine

King Wine – 2022 – 8 bit
https://kingwine.bandcamp.com/album/king-wine

“Your friends want to help and above all to understand”

Craig Wilson is one of the loveliest people in Comedy right now – and it stands to reason that his whimsical Game Boy Indie band are also one of the loveliest sounding bands around.

King Wine have such a unique musical vibe, and “Love King Wine” makes me cry happy tears and is a guaranteed song to get me out of even the worst depressive slump. It’s all about letting your friends help you when you’re struggling, and them being “your personal cheerleaders” and how they’ll always believe in you.

It’s such a heartwarming song, with quirky whimsical chiptune melodies made with actual Game Boy sound chips. If you don’t think that’s fucking lovely, I honestly don’t even know why you’re here.

8: This Is Great Britain – Austerity Dogs

The Void – 2022 – Post-Punk
https://austeritydogs.bandcamp.com/album/the-void

Another band featuring a beloved Blizzard comedian, Jono Murray’s “Austerity Dogs” are what you’d describe as Punk Poetry to a T. Incredible punk attitudes, not too dissimilar from the early Craig Charles work – and the music being immaculately arranged electro punk, with infectious dance beats and riffs that you can rave and mosh to all while an angry Scouser yells at you about gentrification. Honestly, what more do you need from a band?

“This Is Great Britain” is such a simple yet banger of a track, and it is impossible not to at least bop along to it any time it’s on. The quality of the production is huge for a band this small, and you can imagine this being played in clubs and punk gigs alike. A true underground classic.

9: Impostor Syndrome – Superfriends

Impostor Syndrome – 2023 – Indie Rock
https://superfriendstheband.bandcamp.com/track/impostor-syndrome

“What if I’m not good enough? Is it okay
What if I’m not alright? It’s not okay”

Superfriends indeed! Kirstie originally got me onto these lovely lads, and they have recently had one of their tracks feature in a Netflix show, so that’s pretty cool! I included this particular track on our best of 2023 list, as it really struck a chord with me, someone who lives with Impostor Syndrome in many aspects of my professional and social life. This song just really hits close to him and very aptly conveys the feeling in succinct lyrics and minimal indie rock instrumentals.

It’s kind of cozy and supportive, and again a reminder that I’m not alone in these feelings and struggles. Superfriends have absolutely nailed the message and vibe with this track.

10: Warning: Dystopia – Commons Sense Kid

A For Effort, E For Attainment – 2023 – Punk
https://commonsensekid.bandcamp.com/album/a-for-effort-e-for-attainment

“History repeats itself, still no lessons learned
When you outlaw peaceful protest
It’s not just human rights
That’ll get burned”

Honestly this playlist is going to turn into “Cool musicians and bands Kirstie knows and got me into ‘cause she’s so much cooler than me” at this point.

Common Sense Kid started recording and releasing music during lockdown and has gone from strength to strength. He is someone who demonstrates authentic punk sensibilities at his core, and musically has only gotten more proficient and diverse in the years since, culminating in last year’s album being one of my favourite punk albums of the 2020s so far.

I particularly love the dub vibes of this track, and the masterfully crafted lyrics despairing over the impending dystopia and all the warnings signs we’ve been ignoring for generations at this point. It’s an incredibly profound piece of art, and impending societal doom has never sounded so fucking good.

11: Centrist – Slightly West

Fearmongrel – 2023 – Alternative Rock
https://slightlywest.bandcamp.com/album/fearmongrel

“There was a civil war
I couldn’t pick a team
On one side,
There was slavery
And on the other side
They set me free”

Going back to tenuous links now – I have never met anyone involved with this project. But when I first found them I was one of their only monthly listeners on Spotify (which to be fair is probably because most fans don’t use Spotify, which honestly valid). And I did get a reply to a comment on the YouTube vid for “Eat the Rich”, so y’know, we’re tight.

Seriously though I will showcase this musical project at every opportunity. They have a raw grit that is very addictive, combining discordant melodies, hardcore production, and simple unambiguous punk lyrics that feel very real and incredibly potent with the current state of the world and politics, and more people should be following them.

This track is my fave as it so brilliantly distils centrist ideology into the nonsense that it is. When your two options are slavery and freedom – what exactly is a Centrist compromise? Centrists allow fascism to thrive. Fascists are worse, but they would not be able to hold onto meaningful power without misguided centrists being talked into supporting them over even the most milquetoast of oppositions.

It’s an important point that needs making, but it’s also low-key fun to shit on Centrists, regardless, and Slightly West do make it sound so good with that brilliantly sarcastic chorus.

12: The Cure For Anxiety – The Latchkey Kids

The Cure For Anxiety – 2024 – Pop Punk

I first heard of The Latchkey Kids when I was invited to compere a charity punk gig they were headlining, and then also got to see them June just gone with a punk all-dayer they set up with another one of my favourite bands The Sewer Cats. While lyrically they don’t tend to go into too much of the Blizzard content we usually platform, the band themselves are poster children for punk DIY ethos. They are all lovely lads making really great and nostalgic pop-punk and emo music, and tackling important and relevant personal issues on mental health and mine introspective and personal stuff rather than overt politics a lot of the time. And there is absolutely a place for that.

This track is their newest one, dropping this year, and I can’t quite put a finger on why, but it warms up my soul in a way that makes me desperate to want to share it with you. Very sound guys. While this music isn’t typically my specific scene, I adore this song, and I’m sure if you’re reading this you’ll get something nice out of it too.

13: Anthem – Arrowhead

Anthem – 2020 – Punk
https://whoisarrowhead.bandcamp.com/track/anthem

“We’re angry and we’re proud, I’ll tell you that for free
Right now, I think we’re allowed to be
When the world doesn’t want to let us be seen
Please stay beautiful, stay unique”

This is another tangential connection. A friend of a friend got me into this band and this song specifically is very aptly titled “Anthem” and that’s exactly what it is. This is what a pride anthem should be, uplifting but angry, explicit and inclusive, celebratory and motivational but with the protest running through its very core. This is one of the greatest queer anthems of all time, and it’s so cool to have so few degrees of separation from the artists who made this.

Mind you, most queer people in the country seem to tangentially know each other, so maybe it’s not that much of a coincidence. Either way, this song will go on to be a timeless classic for me, it nails everything it’s trying to be and suits our vibe so much.

14: Can I Get Off? – Millie Manders and the Shutup

Wake Up, Shut Up, Work – 2024 – Ska Punk
https://milliemanders.bandcamp.com/album/wake-up-shut-up-work

“Can I get off of this planet
Is there a way to escape
From all the pain and destruction
And fascists fuelling the hate”

I first met Millie Manders online on Social Distance Warriors, and because I’m a dick I didn’t actually properly get into the band until a couple years after that, and boy was I missing out.

I have particularly enjoyed their output this year. “Can I Get Off?” was one of the few songs released in the last 12 months that properly nailed my state of mind with regards to all the global genocide that we are at best ignoring and at worst actively complicit in. That chorus has acted as an outlet for my frustration, despair, terror, misery, confusion and anger living in a world that doesn’t just allow this shit but seems to rely on it to function.

I honestly think this might be one of their greatest songs of all time, but god do I wish that the inspiration behind the song didn’t exist in the first place. It’s fucking horrible that we need this song, but because we do, I’m glad we have this song for it.

15: My Favourite Fact About Maggie – Smoking Gives You Big Tits

Guts For Starters – 2023 – Punk
https://smokinggivesyoubigtits.bandcamp.com/album/guts-for-starters

“My favourite fact about Maggie is that she’s fucking dead.”

Smoking Gives You Big Tits have been so lovely and receptive to our simping social media tags, so that was reason enough for me to want to shout them out yet again. But I also just found out they’re retiring after their last gig in October, and I am heartbroken. But also elated that I got to see them at the Punk Festival, and you can bet your big tits Imma be there at their last ever gig.

Guts For Starters is possibly my favourite album of 2023, it’s so fucking perfect. Whilst I’m gutted we won’t be getting any more from them, what a way to cement your debut as the perfect record that it is.

You know this song, it’s all about how Thatcher is dead, and that’s a good thing. There’s plenty of songs on this list about all the bad shit that’s still going on, and the legacy that Thatcher left behind is still causing damage today. But sometimes, you just wanna spend 4 minutes celebrating the fact that she is dead and rotting and burning in hell, and that gives me life.

No one brings that vibe to this song as well as SGYBT, and that makes this possibly the greatest party song of all time. What heroes, thank you for blessing us with a great sentiment and killer music, and hope to see you around at gigs in Manchester on the other side of the stage ❤

16: Under The Rotting Pizza – GameGrooves ft. Simple Minded Symphony

Limit Breaker: A Ska Tribute to Final Fantasy VII – 2023 – Ska

Our first stream dedicated to music was to look at this niche interest crossover of Final Fantasy VII and Ska Punk. And that is my entire personality.

This whole album is phenomenal. While we didn’t manage to get any of the artists on stream, we did have some of them in the chat, and it was such a fun experience to listen through some of my favourite tracks together. I don’t remember if this was one of the tracks we chose or not – but in terms of Blizzard vibes, the context of this track is an incredibly unsubtle commentary on class divides while the working classes in the lower slums are literally underneath the rich and the ruling class on top of those plates.

It’s wild how people are only just now realizing how political this game is, good lord. The “rotting” pizza as well foreshadows and indicates that those plates holding up the upper city are still wearing down. If the people don’t slow down their destruction and overreliance on unsustainable resources and energy practices, the working class will be crushed yes, but those on the upper level will fall to their deaths. You may have the power and the privilege, but if you don’t fix the course of travel, you will be just as dead as everyone else.

This fully instrumental ska cover of this surprisingly dense field music really accentuates the vibe of the setting. Even not knowing the context, the music itself, expertly composed in the original and respectfully re-imagined here, tells the story almost as much as the actual game and script as well. This is what peak musical storytelling looks like, not a word needed, and yet the emotion and the feeling is unmistakable.

17: Apathy – Tripsun ft. Stu Daly & CHEWIE

Kill The Dream – 2023 – Emo
https://tripsun.bandcamp.com/album/kill-the-dream

“Wake up every morning
To atrocities on my screen
Another child funeral
Funded by your apathy”

I have no connection to this band, but this song hasn’t left my head since I first heard it last year. A scathingly raw and authentic depiction of the struggles, fears and experience of racism, living under military occupation, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza that we are still complicit in.

Great Punk can convey the complicated emotions and feelings of difficult subjects in very few words, yet still doesn’t feel like it’s glossing over anything or downplaying the issues. This is a terrific example of that.

This collaborative song between Tripsun and Chewie emphasizes the best aspects of both of these bands; upbeat melodic riffs, astute anger and melancholic vocal vibes conveying the gravity of the subject, and tight confined songwriting that drills down to the crux of the issue and the main point, punctuated with a hell of a pop punky hook. This is a punk song for the ages, leaving a lasting mark despite its short runtime.

Apathy is a hell of a drug, and it has deadly consequences. Feeling apathetic about your choices of political candidates is one thing. But feeling apathetic about the real world events that are happening because of or at least aided by our own government’s political decisions, if you ‘can’ feel apathetic about that, then … well, I’m happy you can remain so detached and safe and never have to think about those horrors happening to you, or your loved ones.

18: NHS (National Health Simpsons) – Boom Boom Racoon

Now That’s What I Call Boom Boom Racoon Vol. 1 – 2018 – Ska Punk
https://boomboomracoon.bandcamp.com/album/now-thats-what-i-call-boom-boom-racoon-vol-1

“Where’d you get the money for,
funding another war
when you cant afford to pay,
nurses a living wage”

I saw Boom Boom Racoon finally for the first time at a punk all-dayer organised by the aforementioned Latchkey Kids and Sewer Cats – and ended up hanging and drinking with them a lil bit, and they really are the cutest coolest cats you’ve ever seen.

I love this song a lot, purely because interpolating this iconic Simpsons gag into a song about the systemic destruction of our NHS by consecutive neoliberalist governments is a stroke of pure genius. Also it is a very minimalist take on ska-punk with only 3 band members, no percussion, and yet a rich and full and distinctly original and tight ska sound using the bare minimum. It sounds glorious. Kind of like of folk music was ska.

It’s a really addictive sound, and they’re a super fun and lovely band who you should definitely go and see. Even their non-political tracks are just silly fun, and I enjoy a lot. You need this loosely racoon themed ska band in your life. Trust me, you can thank me later.

19: Fake Great Britain – Pink Suits

Political Child – 2021 – Punk
https://pinksuits.bandcamp.com/track/fake-great-britain-2

“Living in these harsh times of hate crimes
intolerance it’s on the rise
austerity it’s in its prime
in Fake Great Britain”

Yet another band who Kirstie got me into, she’s so much cooler than me it’s ridiculous.

Pink Suits were the first band to make me cry a lil at this year’s MPF – Kimberley May hit me really fucking hard for obvious reasons. But if you just want an uncompromising political banger, you can’t do much better than Fake Great Britain. This two-piece outfit make an immediate sonic statement with their hard riffs, driving percussion, and powerful shouted vocals, creating a very distinct and abrasive soundscape that just makes you need to move.

They’re fucking brilliant, and I’m so glad Kirstie got me to go see them.

20: All My Nameless Friends – Call Me Malcolm

I Was Broken When You Got Here – 2018 – Ska Punk
https://callmemalcolm.bandcamp.com/album/i-was-broken-when-you-got-here

“One by one and all together
We’ll fix you and put you back together
I got my friends
Count ’em 1, 2, 3
And I need you now more than ever”

I feel like a bunch of people I know, know this band. I have very possibly had a conversation with some of them, but mostly they’re on this playlist as this song I think captures how I feel about Blizzard right now more than anything else.

This is a ska song all about struggling with mental health, and how the presence of the band, their audiences and wider community in the context of a show makes all of that pause for a moment. There’s nothing quite as lovely and healing as that feeling. There in that moment, everything is okay, everyone there is your friend. Some of them you’ve never met and likely never will again, but for the length of the night you are one, and you feel safe, and loved, and healed. It might not last forever, but there in the moment it’s the loveliest feeling in the universe.

And that’s how I feel about all of you. The last few years have been a lot. Even when I’ve been feeling most disillusioned with life and even comedy, coming to this show, whether to host or tech, makes me remember why I love performing, why I love comedy, and low key why I love being alive. And make no mistake, this is you. I’ve played a part in trying to curate this space, but the audience, the acts, the volunteers, all of you make this silly little thing worth doing and are the reason that it has become such a beloved cornerstone of my life.

I love you a lot, whether I know your names or not, I appreciate you immensely, and whenever we’re back, I’ll be looking forward to seeing and spending time with you all again ❤

21: Hierarchy – BlackJack

Hierarchy – 2023 – Punk

This is another band I got the pleasure to meet and work with at the aforementioned charity gig last year – and I fell in love immediately. They’re a relatively new band, at least in terms of recorded content, but this track is already one of my favourite punk tracks of all time.

It has a really satisfying marching riff to it, an unparalleled energy and swagger to the lyrics, and genuinely puts me in mind of proper old school Punk but without all the sketchy bits that have aged badly. BlackJack are a true modern punk band in the truest sense of the word, they’re such a vital voice, and they speak it with incredibly intricately written and perfectly performed instrumentals, making them a band great for both partying and protesting.

Not many bands get me quite as excited as these, so get in early and look out for what else they put out in future, as I’m sure it’ll be phenomenal!

22: I Have Never Been More Disappointed In Anything (Than I Am In All Of You Right Now) – ‘Till I’m Bones

I Have Never Been More Disappointed In Anything (Than I Am In All Of You Right Now) – 2022 – Ska Punk

https://tillimbones.bandcamp.com/track/i-have-never-been-more-disappointed-in-anything-than-i-am-in-all-of-you-right-now

I can’t find the lyrics for this song, and I don’t know what it’s about – but good lord does it make me wanna dance embarrassingly and fuck shit up slightly less embarrassingly. You can also thank Kirstie for this band being here, they’re superb. Bonesbonesbonesbonesbones.

23: Fuck Team Sports – CHEWIE

Marrowbone Lane – 2013 – Punk
https://chewiepunx.bandcamp.com/album/marrowbone-lane

“It’s our survival instinct to be on the winning team
well I say “Fuck team sports””

CHEWIE are here yet again with this absolute classic track. Stu Daly was the second person to make me cry at Manchester Punk Festival this year – and I didn’t even manage to see CHEWIE. But god his solo work is so utterly beautiful and tear inducing, weird choice for 3:00pm on a Saturday, but one of the most enrapturing sets I’ve ever seen in my life.

I went with a CHEWIE song because they’re less downbeat, and I adore this one. It’s emotive, it’s defiant, and the lesson about not thinking about being on the winning or losing team, but just trying to improve things so that everyone can win rather than play this endless game, would just be such a better way of doing it. Solidarity for all.

24: First Class War – Baldhead

Tales From The Alley – 2023 – Ska Punk
https://baldheadband.bandcamp.com/album/tales-from-the-alley

“First Class war! First Class war!
Public transport should be public like it used to be before”

Oh this is a delightful work of wordplay in the title. Was going to go with “Shit’s Fucked” – but while we don’t technically have Tory rule in name currently, it felt like this was more appropriate. I mean, many of the issues highlighted in “Shit’s Fucked” are still issues, but y’know, so are the trains.

Baldhead’s singer is also the singer for Cruel Mother, and I didn’t realize for an embarrassingly long time – but in my defence they are both very different vocal approaches. Baldhead is very Ska/Reggae/Oi Punk inspired, and Cruel Mother much more folk/doom. Dude has range honestly, nails both vibes.

This track is a really fun and bouncy one about the joke that is the UK rail network and privatization. I honestly can’t tell if the title or the idea came first – but that hook at core of the song is an utterly perfect double entendre of first class meaning expensive rail tickets and class war. The fact that the railways are designed to be worse for everyone but slightly less worse for rich people who can afford first class.

Along with NHS by Boom Boom Racoon, I’m a real slut for punk songs about how privatization has ruined basically every service in this country. It’s unfortunately an argument that we’ll likely have to keep making long into this Labour government.

They might be finally sorting out the rails, but not a damn moment too soon, as anyone who’s tried to go anywhere in this country without a car can attest to.

25: Stand Together – Face Up!

Fu! – 2023 – Hardcore

This is one of the more recent bands I’ve got into – found them through the fab GASH Merchandise who made my favourite gig shirt and the one that’s in 99% of all my stage photos. I think their partner is in this band? There’s some connection though anyway – and they’re just straightforward but brilliant hardcore punk rock and they nail that.

Can’t find the lyrics for this one, but the title and vibes of “Standing Together” are very reminiscent of the values of solidarity we have here at Blizzard – and all of this over some of the most sick ass punk riffs I’ve heard this side of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise. This track would fit perfectly on any of those soundtracks, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment it can be.

26: Body Politics – The Menstrual Cramps

Body Politics – 2023 – Punk
https://themenstrualcramps.bandcamp.com/track/body-politics

“I didn’t choose my gender
It was placed on me
Perhaps forced on us by society”

We’re back to the ‘This band interacted with me on social media once and now I’m in a never-ending parasocial relationship with them’ territory here. The Menstrual Cramps shared my blog on bands to watch at MPF 2024 which featured them – and I’m fucking honoured as they’re honestly one of the most punk bands going right now.

The material they’ve been putting out over the last 12 or so months is amongst their best ever. Body Politics is obviously my favourite for how it so concisely dismantles gender as a construct and acts as a “be yourself” anthem in the face of the gendered expectations placed upon you. That’s just really fucking rad honestly. Song goes hard, and with just enough cute whimsy to stand out from the crowd without undermining the point with the “Crisps for breakfast, break the rules” bridge. Iconic honestly. Some of the best lyricists in punk for that line alone.

27: Clickbait – Sally Pepper

Factually Correct – 2022 – Acoustic Punk
https://sallypeppermusic.bandcamp.com/album/factually-correct

“Oh you read it on the Internet,
So it’s got to be factually correct.
But the only thing to cause offence
is your lack of fucking common sense.”

Got chatting to Sally Pepper a bit after also recommending her in my MPF blog, and had a bit of a chat with her after her set and another gig she did in Manchester not long after that. She’s honestly just one of the coolest people. Electric stage presence, incredible songwriter, and just an all-round modern musical icon.

I adore this song. It only gets more and more relevant with the recent discourse around the Olympic boxing. So many people read shit on the internet with zero critical thinking at all and that riles up into hate mobs and relentlessly bullying a cis woman for being good at boxing. It was such a fucking stupid thing to be mad at, and the misinformation was only a part to blame. Even with the information they were consuming, I don’t think if she was trans that would be anything to be mad about in context.

But because of the disinformation campaign, otherwise moderate liberal people got swept up in the hate as well. And like, I’m sorry for them to a point for getting misled. but if you’re seeing reports like this, it’s kind of on you to cross reference that with other sources. Not to sound like a cliché “do your own research” cunt, but even just Google and see what other people are saying and ascertain the facts from the rhetoric at least.

I’ve fallen for clickbait before – it happens to the best of us. But remember your reactions to clickbait can have real life consequences on real people. Take a moment, breathe – think about it. Is the source valid, do other sources back this up or are they all copying the same source? What do you want to get out of angry sharing this without verifying a) that it’s factual and b) that it’s a big a deal as you think it is in the moment?

No one is perfect, but if you approach these stories critically and with empathy for fellow humans, the times you do slip up won’t risk hurting people anywhere near as much.

Anyway, yeah, this song is great, Sally is great, go check her out.

28: John Barleycorn – Cruel Mother

Cut Down For The Earth – 2024 – Folk Doom
https://cruelmother.bandcamp.com/album/cut-down-for-the-earth-2

You may think I’m socially obliged to like Kirstie’s bands – but I legitimately have this track in my main rotation at the minute. The riffs are slow, heavy, and frankly just fuck, there’s no other word for it. I even included this track on a mixtape for my Dad on Father’s day because I’m the best at presents and he loved it. And this is a man who typically describes any band heavier than REM as “Grungey” as a slur.

I loved having the whole band on stream to debut the EP. The way these classic folk songs have been arranged and reinterpreted is so creative and satisfying and performed and mixed to near perfection for the vibe it’s going for honestly. There is no reason this band needs to go THIS hard, but they do, and that is why I will continue to sing their praises until you’re all listening to them.

29: Secrets Of The Forge – Dreamslain

Forge of Rebellion – 2024 – Progressive Metal
https://dreamslain.bandcamp.com/album/forge-of-rebellion

“All over the world you will hear our call
To reforge the world and this time include all
No more be divided by borders of land
Who you choose to love or colour of your hand”

Our most recent Blizzard music stream was courtesy of this immaculate and supremely talented Metal outfit Dreamslain, who this year released their most recent (and in my view best so far) album. They really pull out all the stops here, every note, every harmony, every musical choice is honed to perfection to create an intricate, heavy, and earwormy Metal masterpiece.

Secrets of the Forge is a fantastic thesis statement for the whole album. All the musical elements meld together perfectly, the lyrics inspire revolution, and each movement within the song compliments each other and leads into one another so smoothly, the story is told through the music as much it is the lyrics. Dreamslain are some of the greatest composers and musicians working in Metal today, and they are criminally underrated because of that fact. Seriously give them a listen, even if it’s not your kind of music, this album will stay with you.

30: Arise, Daughters Of Marsha! – Daughter

Silhouettes – 2024 – Black Metal
https://daughtermetal.bandcamp.com/album/silhouettes

“We do not have a choice
But join the fight or die
They’re coming for us, siblings
So raise your battle cry”

And for the third but ironically first album debut we streamed this year, we have a strong contender for my favourite music release of the year in Daughter’s “Silhouettes”. This is a Black Metal album that asks the questions “What if Trans women embodied and owned the grotesque monsters that you think we are?” in the form of Black Metal. And this just makes so much sense as a crossover, and I’m so happy it exists.

This album delves deep into the toughest struggles of being transgender in the UK right now, and provides a generation defining statement of solidarity and defiant protest against those who simply wish to stop us existing. It was hard to pick just one track, but this is the most Blizzard Comedy, throw-bricks-at-cops, pride-is-a-protest vibe one, and I think fits perfectly as our pick.

Named after the queer trans icon Marsha P Johnson, and sampling one of her speeches, and really capturing both her spirit as well as that of the modern trans movement. Uniting us and calling to action – it is impossible to listen to this song and not feel an overwhelming sense of confidence, hope, and drive to march and fight for a better future for us. This is what protest music can be, it’s harsh, it’s raw, and it’s so intensely powerful, and a must listen for fans of the genre.

31: The Great Insurrection – Dakesis

The New Dawn – 2016 – Symphonic Metal
https://dakesis.bandcamp.com/album/the-new-dawn

I saw this band back in 2017. I missed the first half of their set, but made it in time for their last song. Thankfully it was like 18 minutes long, so I got a lot out of it. Been in love ever since, and I’ve not found an excuse to put them on a Blizzard playlist yet, so this felt like an apt time.

I opted for this song because there’s a line at the end where the title sounds like they’re saying “The Greatest Erection” instead of “The Great Insurrection” and I am a child.

Seriously though, this track has some of their tightest hooks without sacrificing the ethereal, progressive and symphonic vibe that cut right to my core in what I’m looking for in my Metal. Fractures is also a phenomenal album that I can’t recommend enough too. Dakesis are so fucking good for how unknown they are, so rectify that and listen to them now and tell all of your friends.

32: Don’t Be A Cunt – Footprints In The Custard

A New Low – 2019 – Crossover Thrash
https://footprintsinthecustard.bandcamp.com/album/a-new-low-2019

“Don’t be a cunt
It’s not fucking hard
Just do this one thing
and we all win”

And finally, we’ve got the filthiest lads in all of metal, and a band who I probably never would’ve got to share on a Blizzard Playlist in any other context “Footprints in the Custard”.

I first saw this band supporting Psychostick in Manchester – and then realized we had a tonne of mutual friends, and I had Russ on Facebook. Honestly don’t remember how we met, but either way, phenomenally silly band.

They do what I like to call “Earnest silliness” where yes, they are an explicitly and overtly funny band, but the music still comes first, and they do not skimp out on the quality of these riffs and songs. Their songs are much more complex than you’d think from the names, and they rock so much harder than they need to.

“Don’t be a Cunt” I thought was a nice sentiment to round off this playlist, and indeed comedy club – as ultimately, that’s all our fucking ethos and rules boil down to, and all we really want in a comedy space – is for people to not be cunts. Acts to not be cunty by punching down or making shit, hack jokes at the expense of those who really don’t need it. Audiences to not be cunty and treat new acts like shit just because they’re not a cishet white man who hates his wife. And championing people generally just not being cunts so we can all have a nicer fucking time.

This song isn’t that deep, but it is exactly as deep as it needs to be to accommodate this half-arsed penis metaphor. And it just always puts a smile on my face, and also reminds me not to be shitty to people even when I’m a grumpy guts. Great lads, great band, great tune, and a great end to this playlist series if I do say so myself.

And that’s the list, 32 songs from bands I know, pretend to know, or want to know, that all to a greater or lesser extent fit our entire vibe and what we’re trying to achieve with this silly little show.

We are taking a break from pretty much all Blizzard activity for the next few months. I don’t know when we’ll be back, nor do I know if I’m going to carry on this series, as honestly at this point I spend far more time writing these several thousand word blogs that nobody reads than I do working on my actual comedy. But I’m sure I’ll pop up with the odd one every now and then when I feel particularly inspired.

Either way, if you have made it to the end, congratulations, you are now my best friend, I don’t make the rules.

Seriously thank you for entertaining this vanity project, and hope to see you whenever the next one is
Love you all, have a fit fucking rest of 2024, and we’ll be back soon ❤