The Bronx: History's Stranglers

The Bronx are punk fucking rock, or at least they used to be.

This was a band that not only used to be very angry but also used to sound very angry both vocally and musically. Make no mistake, Matt Caughthran still sounds angry with his cries of, “Motherfucker, I want your blood,” but there is absolutely nothing backing him up. Nothing.

His bandmates gently question their instruments instead of torturing and interrogating them like they ought to - like they need to and like they used to. Maybe it’s just that they’re missing the production skills of Gilby Clarke, but after tackling a ‘clean version’ of this track where Caughthran instead sings, “Mother, I want your blood,” you start to wonder whether it was more of a conscious decision.

Let’s face it, Maturity and Punk Rock have never mixed and with ‘History’s Stranglers’ there is a strong case for renaming this band Manhattan.