To say punk band Snide Remarks have been an unlucky band would be quite the understatement. Through a combination of multiple breakups, line-up switches and just plain bad luck, the band never managed to release anything official from their founding in 1982 until their 30th anniversary, which was essentially a recording of them live in the studio. They would finally manage to release their actual debut album, ‘Reserekted [sic]’, in 2015, but this, the follow-up titled ‘Life is Hell’, would tragically be their final album with guitarist and founding member Keith Bernard, who passed away between the recording of the album and its final release.
That all said, it’s hard not to respect ‘Life is Hell’ as a fun blast of old school punk. You don’t need not be a punk expert to recognise the band’s authenticity and commitment to their sound, with obvious influence from the likes of Sex Pistols and The Anti-Nowhere League showing just how old school the band are.
The guitar playing screams ‘70s punk in a way which is almost refreshing to hear today, with the production being such a flawless recreation of that era that it is hard to believe the album is not a long lost ‘70s recording.
While no one could possibly mistake the members of Snide Remarks as great musicians on a technical level, their enthusiasm bleeds through with every note, with Barry Walker’s unmistakably Northern-accented vocals sounding incredibly enjoyable to any with a love of punk.
While it’s not a bad album collectively, the best songs on the record, like ‘Millionaires’ and ‘God Has Got Your Number’, come across as decent while other tracks like ‘Village of the Damned’ stand out more because the recordings feel slightly awkward during section transitions.
‘Life is Hell’, at times, comes across as being slightly out of time – but maybe that’s what they were going for, especially when the punk ethos of the ‘70s brought about so many great records and artists.
Ultimately, nothing really breaks ‘Life is Hell’ and it is a fun listen for those who like old school punk.
You can purchase ‘Life is Hell’ at any Snide Remarks gig or you can listen to ‘Life is Hell’ now on Spotify.
