If you have never heard (or seen!) them before, imagine a supergroup comprised of Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro and Tommy (or Marky) Ramone. You’ve got Rimini-based trio Smalltown Tigers in one.
The ‘Tigers played our 4th birthday party in London back in November 2019 and even though they were first on (with another gig to play on the same night) they won over those that had luckily turned up early as soon as they plugged in and whizzed through a set of snappily snarled originals, largely in the style of their mutual heroes Ramones. They were about to release their debut mini-album Five Things and planned to come back to tour it in early 2020, but the arrival of Covid meant that they were stuck at home with a great record and no real means of promoting it.
Fortunately, there are no obstacles to get in the way of the release of their long-overdue, altogether splendid sophomore effort – which will be physically available today from your favourite music vendor, or from the Tigers themselves when they undertake a short UK tour.
It’s often said that an artist’s second album is ‘difficult’ but Monty, Valli and Castel have had no difficulty at all in making Crush On You better than their debut. They were out on tour in Italy as soon as socially-distanced gigging was introduced, and increased their growing fanbase no end when they later went out on a European tour with another of their inspirations the Damned, at the veteran punksters’ personal invitation. A short run of UK gigs in the late Summer of 2022 showed just how much the trio had grown musically, and their huge collective onstage personality comes through loud and clear on all ten tracks here, most of which were finessed in a live environment before being recorded and therefore didn’t require an excess of studio time to hone to perfection.
“It’s just fascinating to watch these little compositions become real songs. It’s like watching your kids grow up in a way, don’t you think? After a lot of work, hours and hours in the studio doing take after take until you get it right, listening to the same song a hundred times this work came to an end and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”
Valli – vocals/bass
Crush On You comes in with a big noise, and ends the same way. The pounding opener ‘Meet Me In The City’ sets up a stream of excitement that does not quit until the last notes of ‘Killed Myself When I Was Young’, built around a riff that the heaviest of metal bands would be proud to have originated. The 20 minutes or so that separate these two songs spins by in a whirlwind of buzzsaw guitars and powerhouse percussion, and I am paying it a huge compliment by saying that it compares favourably with anything that came out during Punk’s 70s heyday.
Beneath all the joyful noise, though, there are some truly catchy songs to savour. ‘In A Dream (With A Fool Like You)’ has the pop sensibilities of 70s Buzzcocks at their best, while the catchy ‘Maybe’ and tougher ‘Dressed Right And Skinny’ give drummer Castel’s bratty vocals a welcome chance or two to shine. The overall mix could have given the vocals a bit more breathing space, perhaps, but it’s not a deal breaker and this is a great album to play if you are in need of a shot of audio adrenaline laced with pure punk power.
The album’s title track and debut single give a pretty good idea of what to expect from its other nine selections. The Tigers’ own comments under their YouTube clip says “When we went back to the studio, all we wanted to do was crank it up to 12 and shout it out loud’. A mission statement made real by a terrifically exciting album that they can be justifiably proud of.
Crush On You is out on Area Pirata Records on 9 February. Smalltown Tigers UK tour starts the following day in Brighton and takes them to Deptford, York, Southend and Stockport during the following week, with a LOUD WOMEN show in Canterbury on the 11th.
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